Edge
by Muffy Morrigan
Summary: Sam and Dean begin a hunt. Of course, things are never easy with the boys, and the beginning could very well be their end. Hurt!Dean Hurt!Sam A story told in drabbles and longer chapters. NOW COMPLETE!
1. Chapter 1

_A/N: Drabble challenge word: Word Abrupt. Check out everyone else's too! IheartSam7, orange autumn, deangirl1, mad server, Vanessa sgroi, nana56, ncgirl, onyx moonbeam, sherrydarling, supernaturalsammy67, mahtalie, supernoodle, TCB0.5, and Enkidu07_

**Edge**

**Pitch Black II**

Gravel crunched under the tires of the large truck, Sam slowed and shifted into 4x4 as he took the turn up the long hill.

"How far to the caves?" Dean asked.

"Twelve miles according to the map."

"Right." Dean saw a bright orange sign on the side of the road. "You see that?"

"What?"

"It says 'road narrows, abrupt lane edge'."

"Okay." Sam glanced over as the wheel caught the edge of the road. "Oh shit."

Dean looked out. The side of the road was cut away, dropping nearly a thousand feet straight down. They were headed straight towards it.

_To Be Continued_


	2. Chapter 2

_A/N: Drabble challenge word: Phrase: It comes on slow. Check out everyone else's too! Mad Server, Nana56, Mahtalie, Orange Autumn, Iheartsam7, Supernaturalsammy67, NC Girl, deangirl1, PADavis, TCB 0.5, twinchaosblade, SherryDarling, Vanessa Sgroi, Supernoodle, InSecret, Onyx Moonbeam and Enkidu07._

_A/N II: I am endeavoring to tell a complete story in 100 word pieces. I promise it will be a complete story and I will update as the words come! PADavis has kindly asked me to say "I know I will drive you stark raving mad during this process." But I do promise lovely hurt to make up for your descent into madness. _

**Chapter Two**

**Over the Edge**

The edge was already under the tires when Sam slammed on the breaks. The front tipped, like a slow moving seesaw, and they plunged over.

Dean looked at Sam, his brother's face was pale. "Sammy."

"Dean."

He wondered if it was all the goodbye they'd get. The truck came to an abrupt stop, something crunched. The world went black.

"Dean?"

"Smm?" Dean opened his eyes. Sam had blood on his face.

"Thank god."

"Where?"

"Against a rock."

"Nighttime?"

"Not quite, it comes on slow out here."

"Hurt."

"I know, I'm going to check you out."

"Careful." The world faded again.

_**To Be Continued**_


	3. Chapter 3

_A/N: Drabble challenge word: Broken. Check out everyone else's too! mad server, onyx moonbeam, iheartsam7, orange autumn, N.C. Girl, Nana56, mahtalie, supernaturalsammy67, SherryDarling, TCB 0.5, twinchaosblade, PADavis, InSecret, deangirl1, supernoodle, moonlight80, enkidu07 and Vanessa Sgroi_

_A/N II: Dear fellow drabblers, I will catch up on my reviews. I'm sorry I missed a bunch of you last week. Forgive me! I'll even bribe you, what would work?_

**Chapter Three**

**Broken**

Sam slipped out of the car onto the steep slope. Broken bits of glass slid down the hill. He opened the passenger door and looked at Dean. There was a huge gash on his head. Sam gently checked his brother for broken bones.

"Sam?" Dean whispered without opening his eyes.

"Yeah."

"Feel weird. Hurts weird."

"Let me check, okay?" Sam slid his hand over Dean's head, then stopped. "Oh god. Can you move?"

"What?"

"Can you move?" Sam said, staring in horror at the tree limb that had pierced the back window.

"My neck broken?" Dean asked.

"I don't know."

**_To Be Continued_**


	4. Chapter 4

_A/N: Drabble challenge word: Skin. Check out everyone else's too! PADavis, Mad Server, Onyx Moonbeam, Iheartsam7, Orange Autumn, NC Girl, Nana56, mahtalie, Sherry Darling, supernaturalsammy67, TCB 0.5, twinchaosblade, InSecret, deangirl1, supernoodle, Vanessa sgroi, moonlight80, Chailyn, Dream Painter, Enkidu07._

_A/N II: I am trying my best to stick with the idea of telling this story in drabbles. Fair warning though—I might freak out and start just writing it very soon!_

**Chapter Four**

**Can You Move?**

Sam ran a hand over Dean's head, stopping at the branch. He tried to get a good look without shifting anything, as he pulled his hand back, he cut the skin on one knuckle. Warm blood ran over his hand.

"How bad are you hurt?" Dean asked.

"Not bad."

"You have blood on your face."

"The glass cut it." Sam looked at Dean, his brother hadn't moved since the crash.

"Lying to me?"

"No. Can you move?" Sam asked. Dean frowned, then closed his eyes. Sam held his breath, waiting. Dean opened his eyes and looked.

"Dean? Can you?"

"No."

_**To Be Continued**_


	5. Chapter 5

_A/N: Drabble challenge: Word Combustible. Make sure you check everyone else's out too! Onyx Moonbeam, Enkidu07, Mad Server, IheartSam7, Orange Autumn, NC Girl, Nana56, mahtalie, Sherry Darling, supernaturalsammy67, TCB 0.5, twinchaosblade, PADavis, InSecret, deangirl1, Supernoodle, Vanessa Sgroi, moonlight80, Chailyn, Dream Painter, Thru Terry's Eyes, writergirl94, sweetysmart0505_

_A/N II: I know this story is moving forwards at a snails 100 word pace! The freak out is coming, I think, but I am _**trying** _to be disciplined about it! I know I am way, way behind on review replies. I am trying to catch up. I had an unfortunate case of food poisoning, then a little more fun times after that! I am also getting ready to post new chapters on everything else! Thank you all for your patience!_

**Edge**

**Chapter Five**

**Smoke**

Sam looked at his brother, barely able to breath. He glanced around wondering if his cell would work.

"Sam?" Dean made a sniffing sound. "Smell that?"

"What?"

"Smoke, I think."

Sam took a breath, he could smell it too, the smoldering smoke of a fire getting ready to explode into life. He took a step back, a small gray wisp came out from under the truck. "Oh god." The accident must have caused a spark that landed on the highly combustible pine needles.

Moving Dean might kill him, leaving him in the truck would. "Dean?"

"Yeah, I know, I'm screwed."

_**To Be Continued**_


	6. Chapter 6

_A/N: Drabble challenge: Phrase—All of a sudden. Make sure you check everyone else's out too! __Onyx Moonbeam, Enkidu07, Mad Server, IheartSam7, Orange Autumn, NC Girl, Nana56, mahtalie, Sherry Darling, supernaturalsammy67, TCB 0.5, twinchaosblade, PADavis, InSecret, deangirl1, Supernoodle, Vanessa Sgroi, moonlight80, Chailyn, Dream Painter, Thru Terry's Eyes, writergirl94, sweetysmart0505, Dean'sBabyBird._

_A/N II: Still madly trying to not freak out, but it's getting close._

_A/N III: Thank you everyone for all your reviews. I am working to catch up on my replies (and my reviews of fellow drabbles) but "that which gets me stuck on bed rest" is back and I have to choose how to spend my limited computer time. I've been writing as much as possible, but I will catch up soon! Promise!_

**Edge**

**Chapter Six**

**No Choice**

The smell of smoke filled the air. Sam met Dean's eyes.

"You leave me in here I die, Sammy, you have to move me."

"If your neck is broken, Dean…"

All of a sudden the pine needles exploded into flame, the blaze curling into the cab.

"No choice, Sam. Do it."

Sam grabbed Dean and pulled him out. His brother screamed in agony and collapsed in Sam's arms. Sam carried him away from the flames and laid him down on the ground. "Dean?" he said desperately. He felt for a pulse, Dean's head rolled to the side. "Oh, god, no."

_**To Be Continued**_


	7. Chapter 7

_A/N: Drabble challenge: Word Belly. Check out all the other players drabbles too! Everyone is listed on Enkidu07's profile! Dear fellow drabblers, I am trying to catch up on all my reviews of your fabulous drabbles, know that I love them and will review, cross my heart!_

_A/N II: Still trying to avoid the freak out. Trying, freak out building… building…_

**Edge**

**Chapter Seven**

**You Packed What?!?**

Sam turned to the truck, flames slowly consuming the vehicle. "I'm going to get our stuff," he said.

"Be careful," Dean whispered.

"Don't move."

"Can't."

Sam ran to the truck, grabbed the bags out of the back and raced back to Dean. He dropped the bags on the ground and opened the duffel, looking for the first aid kit. he pulled it out and opened it.

And stopped, staring at what was tucked in the top of the kit. "Popcorn and coffee flavored Jelly Belly candy?" he said to his brother.

"Never know what you need in an emergency, Sammy."

_**To Be Continued**_


	8. Chapter 8

_A/N: Word challenge word: Keen or optional use keening. I went with the optional. Check out everyone else's too, they are all listed on Enkidu07's profile. _

**Edge**

**Chapter Eight**

**Lamentation**

Sam unpacked the first aid kit, looking for bandages and sutures. He brushed the blood out of his eyes and looked at Dean. His brother hadn't moved at all since Sam had pulled him from the truck.

"You're bleeding," Dean said, frowning in concern.

"A little."

"How bad?"

"It's not bad, Dean."

"I am."

"I know," Sam said, his chest tight with grief.

"Sammy…"

"Don't say it."

The flames destroying the truck had hit a log, the burning pitch humming a soft lamentation, a bird joined in, its song a keening note as if it were already mourning Dean's passing.

_**To Be Continued**_


	9. Chapter 9

_A/N: Drabble challenge, word: raw. Check out everyone else's too, they're all listed on Enkidu07's profile. Thank you everyone for reading and reviewing. _

**Edge**

**Chapter Nine**

**Sam's Fussing**

Dean watched as Sam rummaged through the first aid kit. It was the fourth time he'd done it. Sam was fussing, it was the way he dealt with stuff, Dean knew it, he often wondered if Sam did.

"Sammy?"

"Shut up," Sam growled, his voice raw with emotion.

Dean changed tactics. "Can I have a drink? Throat's dry."

"Dean…"

"Coughing probably won't help much."

"Yeah." Sam grabbed a water bottle, he sipped. Sam pulled it away.

That was when Dean got a good look at his brother. "Jesus, Sammy, what happened? Your shoulder looks like a slab of raw meat."

_**To Be Continued**_


	10. Chapter 10

_A/N: Drabble challenge, word Local. Check out everyone else's we're all listed at Enkidu07's profile. I am still working on catching up with reviews for fellow drabblers and review replies. I hope to be caught up before the New Year. I hope. _

_A/N II: So in my trying to keep to the challenge but wanting to freak just a little… I've written two chapters today. Happiest of Holidays everyone! Hugest of hugs._

**Edge**

**Chapter Ten**

**Burn Cream**

Dean was staring at the mess of bloody flesh on his brother's shoulder, then noticed… "Sam! Your hands!"

"Yeah," Sam said with a half smile. "I kind of burned them getting our stuff. I think I have some burn cream in the kit. It has a local anesthetic in it." Sam pulled out a tube out. "See?"

"Dude, that says Vagisil on it!"

"Yeah, I found it at the grocery outlet. It was ninety-nine cents a tube. The burn stuff was five bucks. So I got this instead. It's the same medicine."

"I always said you were a big girl."

_**To Be Continued**_


	11. Chapter 11

**Edge**

**Chapter Eleven**

**Explosion**

Dean watched in mock horror while his brother smeared the sweet scented cream on his hands. Sam grinned at him. "Think the local authorities will spot that fire? Oh my god!"

"What?"

"The flames, they're reaching…" Sam never finished, the truck exploded in a huge fireball. Sam threw himself over Dean as bits of truck rained down on them.

Sam wasn't moving and the pressure on Dean's chest was agony. _But Sam first. _Dean lifted his hand and put it on his brother's head. "Sammy? Sam?"

"Here." Sam pushed himself up. "Dean!"

"You look like shit."

"You moved your hand!"


	12. Chapter 12

_A/N: Drabble challenge word: flinch or flinched. Check out everyone else's too—or better yet, subscribe to the C2 listen on Enkidu07's profile._

_A/N II: So, I decided to not freak out, but go ahead and do two this week for a holiday offering. Then I got his with Sam-style puppy dog eyes and a sad, "please one more, please?" And who can resist that? So I offer three. Happy New Year one and all!_

**Edge  
Chapter Twelve  
Oh, I So Didn't**

Sam carefully pushed himself off Dean. As he did, pain shot through his arm and chest. He took a deep breath, hoping Dean hadn't noticed.

"What's wrong?" Dean asked.

_So much for not noticing. _"Nothing."

"You flinched."

"I didn't flinch."

"Oh you so flinched, Sam." Dean squinted. "And now you're doing that frowny, flinchy thing you do."

"Frowny flinchy thing?"

"Yeah, you frown then try and cover, but end up flinching."

"I am not flinching."

"You are so flinching," Dean said, grinning, the grin turned into a gasp of pain.

"Dean?"

"Oh god." Dean's eyes rolled up in his head.

_**To Be Continued**_


	13. Chapter 13

**Edge  
Chapter Thirteen  
Who Fainted?**

"Dean!" Sam reached desperately for a pulse, sighing in relief when he found it. "Dean?"

"I kay," Dean mumbled.

"You are not okay! You blacked out."

"No, I flinched." Dean's eyes opened.

"That was a faint, not a flinch."

"Nope. Flinch." He stuck his tongue out.

Despite everything, Sam laughed. "I swear you're still twelve sometimes."

"Thanks." Dean took a shuddering breath. "My hands are tingling—pin and needles. And I don't know if this is good or bad, but my chest really hurts."

"Let me check." Sam pulled Dean's shirt up.

"I saw that flinch, Sam, how bad?"

"Bad."

_**To Be Continued**_


	14. Chapter 14

**Edge  
Chapter Fourteen  
Good and Bad**

Dean was watching his brother's face. Sam was trying to control it, but Dean clearly saw the flinch when Sam looked at him. "Sam?"

"Dean…"

"Out with it. Oh, god, I'm not impaled again am I?" he asked, putting annoyance in his voice, trying to smile.

"No." Sam swallowed. "It's… Oh god."

"Hey, I can feel my hands, Sam, that's good, right?"

"Yeah," Sam said with another squinching flinch. "Just great."

"So, my neck's probably not broken."

"Yeah."

"Just a pinched nerve or something right?" _Sam doesn't look good. _

"Yeah." Flinch.

"But? Sam?"

"You might be bleeding to death."

"Great."

_**To Be Continued**_


	15. Chapter 15

_A/N: Drabble challenge, word: Lash in all it's variations. Check everyone else out as well. _

_A/N II: I'll have you know this isn't a freak out, all these chapters. Nope, nuh uh, no way. It's my muse, she lashed me into shape and demanded this or I'd get a good lashing, you know? Let's just say (with apologies to Caesar) "Veni, vidi, drabbli"_

**Edge**

**Chapter Fifteen**

**Drama Queens**

Sam was staring at Dean, a growing sense of panic sliding through his body. His brother's neck might not be broken, but there was a lot of blood.

"Don't be such a drama queen," Dean said with a frown.

"What?" Sam blinked and looked at his brother.

"I doubt I'm bleeding to death."

"It looks like you're bleeding a lot. There's a lot of blood on your chest."

"Drama queen." Dean batted his lashes like a heroine in a bad horror flick. "Oooh, you're bleeding to death…"

"Can you be serious for one minute?"

"Would that help?"

"No, probably not."

_**To Be Continued**_


	16. Chapter 16

_A/N: It's all PADavis' fault. She made me do this to Sam._

**Edge**

**Chapter Sixteen**

**More Fun**

Dean was going for the "smirk Sam into submission" thing. He was watching the emotions playing across his brother's face when another explosion rocked the hillside. The force of the blast knocked Sam down.

"Sammy?" Dean asked, trying to shift his brother off him_. _

"I'm okay." Sam pushed himself up and sat there swaying back and forth.

"You look okay, yeah. How bad?"

"We need to get ow here."

"Ow here? Sammy?"

"My be our lash shan to scape."

"Sammy?" Concern was becoming panic.

"I fee ba…" And Sam's eyes rolled up in his head and dropped to the ground.

_**To Be Continued**_


	17. Chapter 17

**Edge**

**Chapter Seventeen**

**Not So Good**

"Sam!" Dean took a breath and tried to roll onto his side. Pain lashed across his chest and burned a fiery line into his brain. He fell back and tried again. On the fourth try he made it and dragged himself over to him. _Hey, neck isn't really broken. That's good. Trail of blood? Not so good. _Luckily, Sam had passed out face up. Dean checked for a pulse, for a long moment there was nothing, then a tiny beat. He let out the breath he was holding. Then drew it in again when he looked at Sam. "Oh, shit."

_**To Be Continued**_


	18. Chapter 18

_A/N: This chapter is for Jen who begged for a little more as a pressie. _

**Edge**

**Chapter Eighteen**

**It Just Gets Better**

Dean shook his brother gently. "Sam? Sammy?" he said, trying to breathe through panic, repressing the urge to lash out at the universe.

"Dean?" Sam's lashes fluttered.

"Come on, open your eyes."

"Okay. What happened?"

"Truck blew up again."

"Two gas tanks."

"Yep." Dean snagged the first aid kit with his foot and dragged it, inch by painful inch, up to where he could grab it.

"You moved."

"Yep."

"That's good."

"Yep."

"What?" Sam frowned at him.

"You know that bleeding to death thing?"

"Yeah."

"Might not be me."

"You're covered in blood."

"Yep. It's mostly yours."

"Not good."

"Nope."

_**To Be Continued**_


	19. Chapter 19

_A/N: Drabble challenge word: Thermometer_

_A/N II: I had a lot of fun with this one. Three chapters do not constitute a freak out, not yet. It's just people keep giving me the Sam look and asking for just one more… Just one more… So I did. Although, with ongoing insomnia, the freak out might just come!_

**Edge**

**Chapter Nineteen**

**You Have a Baggie of What?**

Dean was digging through the first-aid kit as quickly as his battered body would let him.

"What's this?" Dean said.

"It's a thermometer, Dean."

"And this?" He held up a bag.

"It's a bag of thermometers."

"We have a bag of thermometers, why?"

"I've been collecting them."

"Again, why?"

"For the mercury, they stopped using it in thermometers. I've been buying all the mercury ones I could find."

"Uh huh. Because why?"

"Chupacabras."

"What do they have to do with thermometers?"

"Mercury."

"Okay?"

"I read a book that said mercury killed them, I thought we should have some."

"Good idea."

_**To Be Continued**_


	20. Chapter 20

**Edge**

**Chapter Twenty**

**Dean Always Knows a Movie**

The heat from the burning truck was starting to affect Dean. He was sweating, trickles of moisture running over his face. "I need to see where you're bleeding."

"Okay," Sam said, blinking at him.

"Can you help?" Dean's hands were clumsy, the pin and needles sensation was getting worse.

"Oh." Sam tugged at his t-shirt, exposing his chest. "Is it bad?"

"A little."

"A little?" Sam smiled. "What kind of little?"

"You know in the movie '300'?"

"Yeah?"

"The Battle of Thermometer?"

"Thermopylae."

"Really? Huh, okay, it's a little that bad."

"A little that bad where everyone dies?"

"Uh, maybe."

_**To Be Continued**_


	21. Chapter 21

**Edge**

**Chapter Twenty-One**

**Discussions of Royalty**

Dean was wondering what he should do. He couldn't walk out and carry Sam. He doubted his legs would carry his own weight, let alone the mass of his brother. And Sam wasn't in any shape to carry him. _We are so screwed._

"Now who's the drama queen?" Sam asked, frowning at Dean.

"You're the drama queen, princess."

"Princess? Queen? Make up your mind."

"You're a royal bitch, how's that?" Dean was gently poking at Sam's chest.

"What are you doing?"

"You know that really cool compass, altimeter, thermometer thing you have?"

"Yeah?"

"It's kind of stuck in your chest."

_**To Be Continued**_


	22. Chapter 22

_A/N: Drabble challenge word: Wrench. Check out everyone else's on the schmancy community!_

_A/N II: I know I've been posting more than drabble lately. Not today. However, since Merisha has informed me her Prozac is running out, PADavis is inching closer to the insane asylum, Lostatc is accusing me of cruelty, TraSan is chewing her nails to the quick… So, look for a freak out, several thousand word chapter coming later this week._

**Edge**

**Chapter Twenty-Two**

**Medical Tools**

"I want to look," Sam said, lifting his head.

"Why?"

"To see how bad it is."

"It's stuck in your chest. You need to look?"

"You might be overreacting because you're hurt."

"I'm not hurt."

"Until a few minutes ago you couldn't move. You have blood all over you."

"Your point?"

Sam huffed. "Fine."

"Sam, I swear if you don't hold still…"

"What?"

"I'll make sure you can't move."

"How?"

"I'll hit you."

"You can hardly lift your arms."

"I'll hit you with my wrench."

"Your all-purpose, never-to-be-parted-from-your-side wrench?"

"Yep. It even works as anesthesia."

"Comforting. We're so screwed."

"Yep."

_**To Be Continued**_


	23. Chapter 23

_A/N: I know I promised this for a little earlier in the week, but real life just doesn't get the important stuff like posting chapters. I did have a stern chat with real life, but it still made me wait. But here you go, one freak out. Sam and Dean, as always when things look bad, are a little snarky. I even managed to sneak the challenge word in. Oh, and as far as the end, I didn't do that. Scopulus, my cliffie demon, is entirely responsible, please address all complaints to him. _

**Edge**

**Chapter Twenty-Three**

**I'm So Not Freaking Out**

The smoke from the fire was eddying around them, wafting through the trees and turning blood-red in the light of the setting sun. Dean watched the wisps for a moment, his mind wandering. With a blink, he brought his focus back on Sam, to the small piece of glass and plastic sticking out of Sam's chest.

"It's not that bad, Dean," Sam said, trying to sit up again.

"If you don't hold still, I'm going for the wrench, Sam." Dean frowned. "Now, hold still!" He poked at the small instrument, wondering if it was better to leave it in or pull it out. Dean bent down and listened, there was no hiss of air or the odd flopping noise that came with a collapsed lung. _Maybe it's mostly a flesh wound?_

"I think it's a flesh wound," Sam said.

"Stop that."

"Stop what?"

"Nothing."

"I can't move until you pull it out."

"You are not moving at all, Sammy. Nope, no way, nuh uh."

"Uh, Dean…"

"I don't want to hear it." Dean tried for a scowl.

"Okay." Sam closed his eyes.

"What?"

"What what?"

"That was too easy," Dean growled.

"It's leave it in and move, or take it out and move."

"I said no."

"Tell that to the fire."

Dean looked over to where the truck was now a fireball. The flames were starting to spread out to the scanty brush on the hillside and on the far side of the burning vehicle the flames were licking at a large dead tree. "Shit."

"Yeah," Sam said, opening his eyes again. "Pull it out."

"Sam…" Dean took a deep breath, it had to be done, he knew it, Sam knew it, so might as well do it. He handed his brother a sterile pad so Sam could stem the flow of blood once it was out. Dean didn't trust his reactions to be fast enough, his fingers were tingling like crazy and he was having a hard time getting a firm grip on it. "On three… One… Two…" Dean yanked it out of Sam's chest, it came away with a slightly wet sound. Sam got the pad over it quickly, but even so, blood was running over Sam's chest. Dean grabbed another pad, and looked at the mess of Sam's shoulder. _Maybe that should wait until we get away from the fire. _

"We need to move, Dean," Sam said, pushing himself up and looping the strap for the bag over his hand. "Can you walk?"

"Of course I can, can you?" Dean managed to get his legs under him and swayed into a kneeling position. "See, almost there." He looked around to give himself a minute for the world to stop spinning. "Where are we going to go? We're on a cliff." The hillside fell away at a very abrupt angle, dropping down a tree-covered slope to the valley floor below. Dean looked up… "Oh my god, did we come off that?"

Sam followed his glance and turned white. "Yeah, I guess we did. We're lucky we're alive."

"So far," Dean said, brushing the sweat off his face. He looked at his hand, it was smeared with blood. "Did I just get your blood all over my face?" he asked.

"No, you just got your blood all over your face." Sam stood and reached a hand down to grab Dean's arm. "Ready?"

"My blood? From where?" He slid a foot under and braced himself. "Ready."

"Remember the bleeding to death thing?" Sam hauled him up, pain shot through Dean's body, starting with a ripping ache in his chest and exploding behind his eyes in sparkling stars of black. "Dean?"

"I'm good."

"Yeah."

Something in Sam's tone made Dean open his eyes—not really sure when he closed them. He was leaning against his brother, one hand twisted in Sam's shirt and his head resting against Sam's chest. "I didn't want you to fall," Dean said, straightening up and letting the stars dance.

"I knew that." Sam pulled Dean's arm over his shoulder and took some of his weight. "Here we go."

"What were you saying about bleeding to death?" Dean said, trying to focusing on something other than the sudden agony filling him up. "It was your blood."

"I don't think so." Sam was breathing heavily.

"Yeah, it was. Damn this hurts."

"No, it wasn't." Sam said as he half-dragged Dean away from the burning truck.

"Yeah, it was."

"No. It. Wasn't."

"Yes. It. Was." Dean reached up to wipe the rivulet of sweat off his face. It was stickier than it should have been. _Blood? _

"No."

"Yes."

"NO!" Sam growled.

"Yes, yeah, yep." Dean's leg suddenly folded and it was only by grabbing Sam that he stayed upright. "Are we far enough away now?"

"We've come about five yards," Sam said, looking back. "Not far enough."

"Can we rest on the rock?" Dean pointed to a large boulder.

"Yeah, let's get there first."

Sam shifted Dean up again and they started out, each step increasing the pulse of pain running through Dean's body. _This is so not fun. Just not fun at all. _Dean focused on taking one step at a time, keeping his eyes on the ground so he wouldn't have to think about how much further he had to go. His feet were sliding on the small, sharp rocks covering the hillside when Sam eased him down on the boulder.

"Let me look at that gash," Sam said.

"What gash?"

"The one part of the dashboard made in your forehead." Sam moved Dean's head a little, catching what was left of the light. "I think it might need stitches."

"Nah."

"Dean…" Sam huffed, rolled his eyes, muttered under his breath and got the alcohol and sutures out of the first aid kit. "This might be fun."

"What?"

"I can't really feel my fingers, the burn cream numbed them pretty well."

"You mean the girly stuff you used. Maybe you should check and see if you're growing…"

"Don't even say it. I can manage."

"It's fine."

"Are we going to have the 'Dean, it's not fine when I can see bone' discussion? Or are you just going to suck it up and let me fix it?"

"Let's have the discussion. You sigh and get that little pained thing around the eyes…" Dean paused, the world was a little wavy at the edges.

"Okay, Dean," Sam said, swabbing his head with alcohol. "Sometimes when you fall down you get an owie…" He opened the sutures and started in on the wound.

"An owie?"

"Hold still, this is hard enough without you wiggling. Sometimes the owies need band-aids. Damn it, Dean, hold still."

"It hurts."

"I know, sorry. And sometimes the owies are worse than that and you need to have something more done."

"Really?"

"Don't raise your eyebrows while I'm stitching your head."

"Fine, whatever. What about the owies? Still haven't convinced me."

"Only a couple more. Sometimes owies are bad enough that bone sticks through the skin. This means you need stitches."

"Or it's a compound fracture."

"We're having the 'Dean, you need stitches' discussion, not the 'Dean, your femur is sticking out of your thigh' discussion."

"Sounds like a lot of discussing."

"It always is." Sam sighed. "Last one," he said, tying it off.

"Okay, sit down, your turn."

"I don't need stitches, Dean."

"Are we going to have the 'Sammy, you had a thermometer altimeter thingie sticking out of your chest' discussion?"

"We don't need to, it was a puncture wound, you don't stitch those." Sam pulled out another sterile pad and some tape. "You just bandage them." He handed the stuff to Dean and sat down beside him on the rock.

"That first, then the shoulder." Dean said, standing up. He opened the pad, pulled the bloody one off Sam's chest and stuck the clean one down. The tape was the fabric kind, Dean yanked a piece from the roll and tore it off with his teeth. "It's perfectly sanitary."

"I didn't say anything."

"We've had the discussion before." Dean tore another strip off. "Hold still."

"I'm not moving." Sam reached out and grabbed Dean's shoulders, the world stopped shifting.

"Thanks." Dean put the tape over the pad. "Shoulder now."

"Let me get the supplies."

"You stay there, I can get them." Dean bent over the first aid bag, the world flipped on its axis and he was looking up at the trees. "Huh."

"That was… was…" Sam was laughing.

"What?" Dean grumbled.

"You did a perfect summersault right over the bag."

"Awesome. I'm highly skilled."

"Yeah, that takes skills. Maybe I should get the supplies?"

"Sounds like a plan," Dean said. "Maybe you can just bend over and I can fix it from here."

"On your back?"

"Sure, I work on the Impala all the time like this. My baby's transaxle, my baby brother's shoulder—all the same thing to a good mechanic."

"I'm not sure the comparison is comforting," Sam said, bending over him.

"It's a compliment, Sammy." Dean smirked. "Now get the bandages and let me fix your shoulder."

"Dean…"

"Sam…" He repeated his brother's tone.

"Fine." Sam grabbed a wad of bandages and a rag from the bag and handed them to Dean. "You don't want to sit up?"

"I'm doing great here. The world isn't flopping around nearly as much."

"Flopping?" Sam sank down beside him.

"Yeah. Lean down a little." Dean wet the rag with alcohol and wiped the blood off Sam's shoulder. _Oh god. _He swallowed down a rush of nausea and kept working. Once he was finished, he looked at the wound. "How'd this happen?"

"I'm not sure," Sam said, frowning at his shoulder.

"It's a mess."

"Thanks."

"Bend down a little more, I need to stick this bandage on." Dean's hands were shaking as he tried to get the pad on his brother's shoulder. He taped the bandage in places and let his hands drop. _That really hurts, and pins and needles suck._ "You should take something for pain, Sammy."

"I'm okay right now, Dean." Sam was looking back towards the truck. "We're going to need to get further away from that fire." He frowned. "Oh, shit." Before Dean could ask what was going on, Sam threw himself over Dean, covering his body. A second later there was something that sounded like an explosion and burning bits rained down on them.

"Sam?"

"Are you okay?" Sam pushed himself up.

"I am, you're on fire. What happened?"

"The snag went down." Sam slapped the burning fabric out and stood. "We need to get away from here."

"It's nice and warm here." Dean blinked at Sam, the world was getting wavier at the edges.

"Dean?" Sam reached down and shook him. "Dean!"

"Hmm?"

"Time to get up and get moving. On three, okay?"

"Sure, Sammy." Dean held his hand out to his brother.

"One… Two…" Sam hauled him up. Pain shot through Dean's body, bringing back the black spots and making him gasp and hold on to the only thing that was keeping him from dropping into the abyss. "Dean?" Sam's voice was pained.

"Wasn't three," he mumbled, trying to get rid of the black spots.

"You never wait until three," Sam said. His voice sounded weird.

Dean got his eyes open and realized he had one of Sam's hands, Sam's burned hands, in a tight grip. "You should have said something!" He let go of Sam's hand and tried to stand up. His legs nearly gave way. "Oh, that was fun."

"Getting cheap thrills again?" Sam asked as he pulled Dean's arm over his shoulders.

"Better than tequila." Dean shifted his weight so he was better balanced and nodded at Sam. They set out at a snail's pace away from the fire. Dean could heard Sam's hitched breathing. He risked a glance over, Sam had the bag over his wounded shoulder. "Give that to me."

"What?"

"I can hang the bag over me, Sam, just drape it over."

"Drape it over? Have you been watching the Home Decorating network again?"

"I've never watched that," Dean said, offended.

"Yeah, right." Sam stopped and pulled the bag off his shoulder with a sigh of relief. He slung it over Dean's body so it wouldn't slip off. "You never watched it. Never once."

"Okay, once. BUT, I was in the hospital doped to the gills on morphine. I would have watched Teletubbies."

"But not Boobahs?" Sam got them moving again.

"Boobahs are demonic, Sam, you know that." Dean chuckled. "They are out to eat brains or something."

"That's zombies."

"What?"

"Zombies eat brains."

"Oh, whatever. Bite me, bitch." Dean swallowed, as bad as he'd felt, it was getting worse with every step. "Do you hear that?"

"What?" Sam slowed down.

"That rumbling noise? I heard it when I was fixing your shoulder, too."

Sam stopped and tilted his head. "Could it be the fire?"

"It was louder when I was lying on the ground."

"Maybe it's something on the road we came up?"

"Could be, rumbling noises usually aren't good."

"No." Sam's feet slipped. "The scree is slippery."

"Scree?" Dean asked as Sam pulled him up again.

"Rocks, Dean."

"Oh, I thought it was a sound girls made when they saw a rock star. Scrrreeeeee."

"You might be delirious."

"Might be."

Sam's feet suddenly slipped again. Dean hit the ground hard. Sam grabbed for his hand, but the combination of the rocks and the weight of the bag pulled Dean down. His hand slipped out of Sam's and he felt himself tumble off a ledge and bounce down the slope. An eternity later he came to an abrupt stop. The world dimmed, even though he could still hear Sam's frantic shouts and the sound of rocks tumbling down the hill.

"Dean?" Sam's voice was suddenly close. Gentle, shaking hands turned Dean over, pulling him away from the rock that had stopped his fall.

"Sam?"

"Hey."

"You okay?" Dean asked, hoping to divert Sam into annoyance and away from panic.

"I AM FINE." Sam's huff was almost a shout. "Oh god, Dean."

"Yeah." It was bad, he didn't need to say it. He could tell from the way the pain changed from sharp to an odd throb, all except for… "My leg?" Dean opened his eyes and looked at his brother. _Oh not good. _

"Dean…" Sam took a breath. "It's okay."

"Sam?"

"I don't want you to freak."

"Me? Freak? Who are you talking to, princess? I am so not freaking out."

"Yeah. Okay." Sam's squinch told him all he really needed to know.

"I impaled myself again, didn't I?"

"Right below the hip."

"Fun. But my cunning plan worked."

Sam's tear-filled eyes turned to him. "Cunning plan?"

"I got us away from the fire."

_**To Be Continued**_


	24. Chapter 24

_A/N Drabble challenge word: Graze. I thought a little drabble would be fun. I'll be back with another freakout very soon, promise! But here are two chapters to tide you over._

**Edge**

**Chapter Twenty-Four**

**The Black Knight**

Sam was staring at Dean, repressing the urge to strangle him once and for all. He glanced up the hill, the fire was starting to spread through the trees. "This was your cunning plan? Roll down the hill?"

"Yep. Let's go."

"Dean? Your leg, remember?"

"It's just a graze."

"A graze?" Sam heard the crescendo of panic in his voice.

"It's a flesh wound."

"You have a piece of stone sticking out of your hip."

"I'm fine, help me up."

"What?"

"Come back and I'll bite your kneecaps off," Dean said in a bad British accent.

_That's it. Strangling him._

_**To Be Continued**_

_A/N II: If anyone has an extra photo op for LA, with the boys separately or together, and you'd be interested in selling, please contact me!_


	25. Chapter 25

**Edge**

**Chapter Twenty-Five**

**Dietary Habits**

Dean was watching Sam's face. It was bad, he could tell from that squinching frown that appeared between his brother's brows looking like little curly-Qs. The fact Dean's hip was throbbing, but wasn't too painful scared the hell out of him. He wondered if he should mention it. "Is it bleeding bad?"

"No."

"That's kinda worrisome. Sammy? Do predators graze?"

"What?" Sam looked at him like he was insane.

"Graze, do predators graze?"

"Uh…"

"Or do they mostly chomp?"

"Chomp? Graze? Why are we talking about this?"

"Just wondering what that thing will do," he said pointing up the hill.

_**To Be Continued**_


	26. Chapter 26

_A/N: Drabble challenge word: Face—check out everyone else's too!_

_A/N II: I know I promised a freak out, but this week was a little rough overall, but I will get it to everyone this week, promise!_

**Edge**

**Chapter Twenty-Six**

**Local Wildlife**

Sam stared at his brother, Dean had the funniest look in his eyes. Turning, he followed Dean's gesture to the creature peering over the edge of the cliff, pacing along the granite shelf above them. _Not good. _"Oh shit."

"You should see your face, Sam, you look like you've seen a… a…" Dean stopped, obviously searching for the right word.

"Like I've seen a what?"

"I don't know, ghost seems a little lame, since we see those all the time. Like you've seen a… a…"

"A wolverine?"

"Yeah, like you've seen a wolver… Oh shit, that's what's up there?"

"Yep."

_To Be Continued_


	27. Chapter 27

**Edge**

**Chapter Twenty-Seven**

**Discussing Wildlife**

Dean looked from the animal to his brother and back. He frowned. _So not good, grizzlies are afraid of those things. _"No, it's not."

"Yes it is," Sam shot back.

"Nope."

"Yep."

"Dean? Yes, it is."

"It can't be a wolverine, Sam."

"Looks like one to me," Sam answered with a little huff.

"Nah, can't be." Dean tried smiling, Sam was looking a little stressed, he had the "I will not, absolutely not freak" look on his face—which meant he was completely freaked.

"Dean? It's a wolverine."

"Nope."

"How do you know?"

"He's not wearing the yellow jumpsuit, Sammy."

_**To Be Continued**_


	28. Chapter 28

**Edge**

**Chapter Twenty-Eight**

**Superheroes**

_Okay, he's finally lost his mind. _"Yellow jumpsuit?" Sam asked.

"Yeah, you know, Wolverine?"

"He wears black."

"In the movies. What're you thinking? The real Wolverine wears yellow."

"Dean?"

"Yeah?" Pain lined Dean's face. "Pull that thing out of my leg and let's go before our buddy up there smells blood."

"I'm not sure I should…"

"What is it?"

"Looks like… huh, weird."

"Sam?"

"I think it's a bi-face."

"It's a what?"

"Bi-face."

"Sammy?"

"A tool, made out of stone—like an arrowhead."

"Cool."

"Cool?"

"I found it, that means I'm Indiana Jones. Go ahead."

"Dean…"

"You have to, Sam."

_**To Be Continued**_


	29. Chapter 29

_A/N__**:**__ Drabble challenge word: collapse. Thank you everyone for your patience with my replies, I will get caught up on Gifts and Man in the Wilderness later this week. _

_A/N II: I feel a freak out coming on! Have no fear._

**Edge **

**Chapter Twenty-Nine**

**A Cool Tool**

The smoke from the fire was billowing over them, briefly obscuring the wolverine.

"Pull it out, Sam," Dean said again.

"It's better to leave things like this in, Dean, you know that."

"Hard to walk with a tool in your leg, even if it's a cool tool." Dean chuckled. "Cool tool."

"Dean?"

"It rhymes. Do it."

"I'm not sure…" Sam hit him with the full squinch.

"It won't bear my weight and if I collapse, you can't carry me out of here. It's pull it out or leave me here."

"I won't leave you out here. Fine, Indy, ready?"

"Yep."

_**To Be Continued**_


	30. Chapter 30

_A/N: Oh, that freak out, I can feel it building…_

**Edge**

**Chapter Thirty**

**Sticks and Stones**

The sun was quickly setting, the shadows on the hill getting longer. Sam was at the point of collapse, but he had no intention of letting Dean in on that fact. He carefully prodded the tool sticking out of his brother's leg, clenching his teeth when Dean groaned.

"I thought it was a stick at first," Dean said.

"It sort of is," Sam said with a smile.

"I thought you said it was bi or something."

"Bi-face, but it's made from petrified wood."

"Petrified wood? I got impaled by a tool, that's stone wood?"

"Yeah."

"That is so freaking cool."

_**To Be Continued**_

_A/N II: Freak out coming… Coming… Okay… I think… Click next quick! (this means you Merisha)_


	31. Chapter 31

_A/N: And she freaks…_

**Edge**

**Chapter Thirty-One**

**Arf Ur Uff Uff**

The stars were starting to appear in the soft blue velvet of the sky. Dean watched them twinkling through the smoke for a moment before pulling his attention back to Sam. His brother was frowning at him with the one particular frown that made him look like a lost puppy. "Like a basenji," Dean said out loud, then stopped when he realized he heard his voice.

"A what?"

"You know those dogs that don't bark but get all frowny?" Dean said, looking up at Sam.

"I know what a basenji is, but why…? Never mind." Sam sighed, Dean watched the emotions playing on his brother's face.

"Pull it out," Dean said for what felt like the millionth time. The fact that the bandage on his brother's shoulder was already red concerned him. Dean blinked trying to focus on Sam. "Are you okay?"

"I'm great, Dean, you're the impaled one."

"Yeah, I do have a cooler wound."

"Cooler wound?" Sam was prodding at his leg. "This is a contest?"

"Oh, hell yeah. You have lame burns and whatever you did to your shoulder. Shit, that hurts."

"Sorry."

"It's okay. I have the cool impaled on a tool wound—and not just any old tool, a bi tool."

"I have the thermometer altimeter chest wound, remember?"

"Oh yeah, well my neck was nearly broken."

Sam froze for an instant, Dean thought he might have made a mistake, but Sam smiled. "Yeah, there's that. But you thought I was bleeding to death."

"But I was, too. God, Sam, just pull it out, stop being careful."

"Sorry, it's hard to get a hold of."

"Then give me a stick."

"A stick?"

"To bite on, Sammy. What are you thinking?"

"That's a bullet."

"Not in 'She Wore a Yellow Ribbon', it was a stick. That works here since I have the arrowhead."

"It's a tool, not an arrowhead."

"You said it was an arrowhead."

"I said it was like an arrowhead. Fine, if I give you a stick will you shut up?"

"Sure." Dean grinned as his brother grabbed a stick of the ground. "It has dirt on it, changed my mind."

"I'm going to get your all-purpose wrench in a minute."

The odd rumbling noise Dean had heard earlier rippled under his head. "You hear that?"

"The wolverine?"

Dean looked over Sam's shoulder, he could see the animal trying to slip over the edge. _To escape the fire or eat us? _"He's trying to get down here, Sam."

"I know," Sam said calmly. "I think I've got it, ready?"

"Yeah." Dean took a deep breath as Sam counted the traditional "one…two…" so he was ready when Sam applied pressure before he reached three. Agony blazed along Dean's leg and up into his body.

"Oh no," Sam whispered, his voice sounded like it was coming from a distance. "Dean?"

"Hmm?" Dean got his eyes open. "Hey, Sam."

"I…" The look on Sam's face caused a little wisp of panic to wind its way through Dean's body. The fact that the pain in his hip hadn't really changed all that much was a little worrying as well. "Dean, I'm sorry."

"Sorry? What for? Losing the contest?"

"It broke."

"What was that, Sam?"

"It broke, half of it's still in your hip." Sam held the piece of stone in front of Dean's face. "I think it might have been broken by the impact. I'm so sorry." Sam stopped.

"Did you just say arf?"

"What?" Sam had the "Dean you are losing it look" on his face.

"Arf ur ufff, I heard you."

"I said the tool was broken." A shaking hand was placed against Dean's forehead.

"Arf ur uff uff," the sound came again.

"If you didn't say that who…" Dean saw the movement over Sam's shoulder. "We need to go, now, Sam. Now."

Sam turned around. "Oh shit." He leaned over and pulled Dean up, he gave Dean a wild look, dug in the pack, pulled out one of the guns, handed it to Dean, pulled the strap of the bag over his shoulder and dipped down. A second later Dean was hanging over Sam's shoulder.

"Sam?"

"If it gets close, shoot." Sam said as he maneuvered down the slope.

"If it gets close enough for me to see, it will be biting you in the ass."

"Don't let it bite my ass," Sam said, his voice hitching in pain.

"Arf ur uff uff," the wolverine growled.

"Faster would be better," Dean said. The position Sam had him in was putting enough pressure on the hip wound to make each step an experiment in how much pain he could take.

"Shut up, Dean."

"Where are you going?"

"Away?" Sam said.

They were tumbling down the hill a moment later. Dean caught a glimpse of the animal pursuing them. He bounced again, then flew through the air. _Huh. _It was his last coherent thought.

**XXX**

The trees raced past Sam as they slid down the long scree slope. His foot had slipped on the sharp rocks and Dean's added weight had been enough unbalance him and send them down the hill. He could see Dean's slide, for some reason his brother was a little ahead of him on the downward plunge. Sam finally skidded to a stop, he lay there for a moment, letting the pain settle down to a low roar before trying to get up. He made it on the third try and looked around for Dean. He couldn't see his brother. He glanced up the slope. The wolverine was stopped on a ledge above them, looking down like it was unsure whether it wanted to pursue them any further. Sam wondered if it had really been after them at all or if it had been fleeing the fire.

Under his hands, the ground vibrated. _Oh not good. _"Dean!" Sam stood, he could just make out his brother on the slope below him. _Good job, Dean, you found another cliff. Cunning. _ He raced down the hill as fast as he could, not worrying about his own safety. Sam stopped to snag the gun Dean dropped. When he reached the edge of the small rock bench Dean had gone over, he took a moment to look over and get an idea of how big a drop it was. _Not good. _Sam pulled the bag off his shoulder and got down on his hands and knees and let the strap play out to its full length before letting go, it still dropped a good three feet before hitting the ground. _Oh god, will my hands manage this? _Sam looked at his burned and bandaged hands, he didn't have a lot of choice—the ledge extended the whole width of the hillside.

"Arf ur uff uff," he heard the growl behind him.

Sam swung off the ledge, letting his body dangle before dropping. The impact felt like it jarred him all the way to his teeth. He breathed through the pain and dashed the rest of the way to his brother. "Dean?" Sam said as he ran his hands over his brother, checking for broken bones, before gently turning him over. "Dean?" No response. "Dean? Come on?" Sam noticed the wolverine pacing along the ledge, its head swinging back and forth as it caught their scent. _Okay, it was after us. _"Dean!"

"I was flying," Dean said without opening his eyes.

"Hey, man," Sam sighed in relief.

"Hurt like hell."

"You cunningly escaped from the wolverine for a while at least."

"Cunning as a cunning fox with a degree in cunning from Oxford, Sammy, that's me," Dean mumbled. It sounded like his mouth was full of marbles.

"How bad is it?" Sam asked, checking the wound on Dean's hip. _Oh, god. _

"Doesn't hurt, I mean any more than it did." Dean opened his eyes. "Which might not be good."

"Yeah."

"Are you okay?"

"I'm okay. I decided to stop before the flight." Sam felt the vibration under his knees.

"Good plan, the stewardesses weren't even hot. Did you hear that?"

"No, but I felt it."

"Earthquake?"

"No, I don't think so. They shake and roll, not like this."

"You'd know, college boy." Dean tried to push himself up.

"Dean!" Sam caught Dean as he dropped back down, easing him gently to the ground. "Maybe you shouldn't do that."

"Yeah, maybe not, it makes you go all white and fuzzy around the edges. Can't have Sammy fussy—uh fuzzy—you're always fussy, princess."

"Bite me."

"I'll leave that to the wolverine. Did you know they are big weasels?" Dean said, looking up the hill, Sam followed the glance, the animal had its front paws over the ledge, looking like a cat perched on a table.

"What?"

"Wolverines, they're weasels, not bears," Dean said. "See, I know shit."

"You do know shit, Dean, lots of it."

"Bite me," Dean grumbled.

The vibrations rattled under Sam again. "I thought we were leaving that to the wolverine."

"You think it's a girl wolverine?"

"Of course it is, Dean, that's why it's after you."

"Yep, all females think I'm hot."

"Yeah." Sam was looking around, trying to figure out a way to escape from the wolverine. The fire was less of a concern at this point, it was far up the slope and seemed to be moving horizontally along the cliff face.

"Go for help and come back, Sam."

"No, Dean. No way. I'm sure help's already on the way anyway, the fire has to have been spotted."

"Yeah, but we're a long way from the fire."

"They'll see us."

"Go, get help."

"And leave you to the wolverine?" Sam tried to control the desperation bubbling through his chest. "NO!" he shouted. _So much for staying calm. _

"Okay, Sammy, don't get your panties in a twist. There is was again, what is it?"

"I don't know."

"Maybe we should move?"

"I don't think you should, Dean, I think you might have broken a rib when your flight landed," Sam said, aware that the vibrations under his knees hadn't stopped this time.

"Like a broken rib is anything to worry about. How many have I had?" Dean smirked. "More that you."

"Are we back to that?"

"Let's see, how many times have I broken my ribs? I've had more stitches than you, too."

"You can't compare old wounds, Dean, you didn't call 'pasties' before you started."

"Pasties? You totally just made up that rule," Dean said.

"No, it's your rule, remember when we were drinking last week, comparing girls in the bar? And I brought up that girl when I was eighteen that was the Playboy Bunny and you said 'no pasties unless you call them at the start'."

"That only applies to contests where your lame little brother went home with the Bunny. Have to call no pasties on a game like that."

"Because you would lose otherwise?" Sam asked, digging through the bag looking for something to bind Dean's hip. He knew the wound had to be agony for his brother, Dean's face was so pale it looked like someone had drawn his freckles on with a dark pen.

"No, of course not. Weird the noise is getting louder."

"Yeah, I can hear it now," Sam said. The bass rumble more a physical sensation than an actual sound. "And how could you win that one? She was a Playboy Bunny.""

"You cheated, that's how."

"I cheated?" Sam pressed a pad over the wound, Dean groaned, his face getting even paler, turning an odd shade of grey. "How did I cheat?"

"You hit her with the look. Oh, god, Sam, do you have to do that?"

"Sorry, Dean, I don't want the stone to move around any more than it already has." He paused. "What look?"

"It's not a stone, it's a bi tool, don't forget. You know, _the _look. That thing you do. I think it's some kind of evil power you have."

"Okay, Dean, the bi tool. What thing I do?"

"Maybe it's a gay tool, should we ask?" Dean ground his teeth together. "_That _thing. You do this thing with your eyes, and women trail after you like cats after fish."

"I don't do a thing. I talk to them."

"That too? Talking is overrated, Sammy. Please tell me you're almost done."

"Yeah, I am." Sam finished and settled back on his heels. _What do we do now? _

"That sound… I think we should move, Sam."

"I think you might be right." The vibrations now bouncing around inside Sam's head set off some kind of primitive warning bell. Something so ancient he wasn't even aware it existed until this minute. He looked up the hill at the wolverine. It was standing with its head cocked to the side, listening to the sound as well. When the tone changed, rising several notes, the wolverine made a noise Sam was pretty sure was terror and took off running. "I'm picking you up again."

"Let me try and walk, Sam, it…" Dean paused, then met his eyes. "I'm not sure I can take the carry if I'm conscious."

_Oh god, Dean. _"Okay." Sam hauled him to his feet and dragged Dean's arm over his shoulder. They started down the hill. The sound followed them, slowly getting louder with each step. It seemed to be coming from a spot just to their left. Sam started edging away, hoping they could escape whatever was causing the sound.

"Sam?"

"Yeah, Dean," Sam was carefully moving them along another ledge, wondering how they could get down. He found a break and they slipped through.

"That sound isn't good."

"No it's not." The sound was up another note on the scale, Sam thought he could hear the rocks on the slope rattling in time with the vibrations.

"If something happens…"

"Dean, if you say it, I will never forgive you."

"Say what, Sammy?"

"Goodbye, that's where this is leading isn't it?"

"Well…"

"No," Sam snapped. "Just shut up about it, okay?"

The note changed again, now sounding like a chorus.

"Time to drop, Sammy, get us down behind that big rock."

Dean pointed ahead of them, a huge boulder was anchored to the hill, Sam raced the last few steps.

He almost made it.

Almost.

The hillside exploded in a spray of rocks.

Dean suddenly went limp against him. Sam dragged him up and kept moving. "Dean?" he asked, panic and fear finding equal purchase in his chest, trying to get them to the boulder when something slammed into the back of his head.

He staggered, still trying to get them to the seeming safety of the boulder when the ground underneath him blew out.

_Maybe I should have said goodbye. _

Then he was flying into the dark.

_**To Be Continued**_

_A/N II: Do you have any idea how hard it is to find the sound wolverines make? And then figure out how to write it? I hope you could all hear it in your head! Arf ur uff uff—oh, and of course Word always want to change that first uff into ruff. LOL_

_A/N III: I am still looking for a photo op with the boys in LA. If you have one to sell, please PM. Thanks one and all._


	32. Chapter 32

_A/N: Thank you as always for your reviews and support! I thought I'd better post this chapter before someone expired, and believe me she's been indicating that it was imminent. A little longer than a drabble, this time, since I've been MIA. Extra geek points will be awarded to anyone who can get the quote that Sam knows is a quote but can't place..._

**Edge**

**Chapter Thirty-Two**

**Cunning Plans**

The world was full of sound, a rumbling rushing noise. Whatever it was, it was huge, so big it covered everything. The world was also full of pain, and the rattling ground under him drove spikes of agony through Dean's body. _Oh, yeah, this day just gets better and better. _He opened his eyes to darkness. When he tried to turn his head, it wouldn't move, he tried to shift his arm, it felt weighted down. That's when what was going on crept into his head and he went from _huh, what's up _to _GET ME OUT OF HERE _in less than a second. _Buried, I'm buried, no, no, no. _It was his greatest fear, because it was everything all rolled into one horrifying moment.

Fear of the dark. _Yep, check._

Occasional claustrophobia. _Yep, check._

Something eating him alive while he couldn't do anything about it. _Well, not a common one, but yep, check._

_And, yeah, buried alive, even without all that? Yep, check. _He had no idea when the fear started, probably when he'd been reading about the various contraptions the Victorians put in coffins, just because they worried about that whole buried alive thing. Really worried. The idea of being trapped and slowly dying, alone, with no one there to...

_That's helping. Not._

Dean tried moving again, trying to get an idea of how bad it was. His arms wouldn't move, but he could wiggle his fingers. Cold air touched the index finger on his left hand. _Okay, good start, one down nine to go. _

Then it hit him.

Where the hell was Sam?

**XXX**

The cold water spraying his face roused Sam. He opened his eyes and stared up at the sky, the _what _and _where _ of the situation escaping him for a minute. Once he realized the stars flickering to life over his head were partially obscured by smoke the situation slammed back into his brain. _Dean!_ He pushed himself up and looked at the water flowing over the hillside. _Where did that come from?_

"Dean!" he shouted. His brother didn't answer. "Dean!" Sam spotted the bag several feet away, he stumbled to it, the ground felt loose, the rocks now slick with the water pouring down the slope. Digging through the bag, he located a flashlight, pulled it out and flipped it on. After several desperate sweeps with the light, Sam took a deep breath, pushed his panic away and started a quick, but methodical search of the hill. When the light caught the edge of something that looked a lot like Dean's boot sticking out of a small rocky mound, the panic was back. "Dean!"

Sam raced to the spot, dropping on his knees beside the boot. It was Dean's and... _Oh god, oh no. _It was attached to Dean's leg. A movement at the top of the mound was a single finger, moving slowly back and forth. "Hang on!" Sam moved up the mound and started digging, freeing Dean's head. As he dug through the rocks the bandages on his hand slipped, so each movement was a blaze of pain.. His brother took a shuddering breath and coughed. "Dean?"he said, once his brother had stopped coughing.

"Hey," Dean said.

"Hey, man, let me get you out of here." Sam began working to free the rest of Dean's body.

"You okay? Be careful of your hands," Dean said.

"Yeah," Sam sighed, answering both questions and starting to shift the debris off Dean's back.

"You could just leave me."

"I wouldn't do that, Dean, seems unfair."

"That kind of hurts," Dean said, "what do you mean unfair?"

"To archaeologists," Sam had the left arm free and started on the right.

"What are you talking about?" Dean sounded genuinely confused.

"You're in a mound, you have that tool..."

"The bi-tool," Dean corrected.

"The bi-tool, fine."

"Have to get it right, Sammy." Dean sighed as Sam got his right are out of the rocks. "What does that have to do with archaeologists?"

"They might assume you were a burial, jump to the wrong conclusions about early cultures in the area."

"The wrong... Oh god, be careful there Sam, what do you mean?"

"You know that they had jeans and t-shirts..."

"And they were chick magnets."

"Yeah, chick magnets." Sam pulled the last of the rocks off Dean, gently turned him over, and ran his hands over Dean's arms, legs, back and head. There was a new lump hiding under Dean's hair. "Can you move your legs?"

"Legs?" Dean moved his feet, then bent his legs at the knees. "Yep."

"You weren't sure?"

"Of course I was, I was just going for dramatic effect."

"Dramatic effect?"

"Yeah, like that? Heard it on 'E! True Hollywood Story' about, about..." Dean trailed off with a frown.

""Fingers?" Sam said. Dean flipped him off. _Yeah, I should have expect that one. "_True Hollywood Story about?"Sam prompted "Arms and hands."

"Some actor." Dean raised his right arm, then his left. "All good." He tried to push himself up, turned paper-white and dropped back to the ground. "Might need a hand."

"Maybe you should just lay there for a minute."

"Cunning plan, Sam."

"As cunning as a cunning fox?"

"Nope, not that cunning. Oh god, Sam, your hands."

"They're okay."

Dean gave him an odd look then frowned. "What happened? What's that noise?"

"Water," Sam said.

"Water? From where?" Dean lifted his head and looked across the hillside. "Little help."

"I thought we were being cunning."

"Not now, now we want to see what's going on," Dean said. Sam slid his hand behind Dean's back and lifted him into a sitting position. Sam moved so he could prop Dean up against his shoulder. His brother was trembling. "Better, shouldn't it be darker?"

"The fire."

"Right, handy. When did that river get there?"

"I think that's what we heard rumbling."

"It wasn't there before."

"No, it wasn't." Sam shifted, Dean's weight was putting pressure on his injured shoulder.

"Where did it come from? I think..." Dean asked, turning to look up the hill. "Shit that hurts, remind me not to do that."

"Think? Okay, Dean, don't think."

"Ha ha, bite me, Sammy. A magically appearing river. You think it's 'Brigadoon' the river?"

"Musicals, Dean?"

"Yeah, it was on 'Family Guy' with Donnie Most."

"But you knew it was 'Brigadoon,' right?" Sam asked, ginning at his brother.

"Shut up, Sam."

Sam watched the water flowing down the slope, even with the fire it was getting too dark to see much above them, so he couldn't tell where it was coming from, just that it had blasted out of somewhere with enough force to tear away a large portion of the hill, burying Dean and moving the huge rock they'd been running for when it happened.

"I didn't mean it," Dean said, fear tinging his voice.

"What?"

"Shut up."

"Sorry, I was trying to figure out where the water was coming from."

"And?"

"I don't know."

"Arf ur uff uff." The sound had come over the rush of the water. Sam looked towards the river, he could see the dark shape of the wolverine moving on the other side of the torrent. _That river isn't as wide as it was a few minutes ago. _

"We might want to move," Dean said quietly.

"Yeah, I'm going to see if I can find someplace, Dean. We can't stay on this slope overnight." He shifted from behind his brother and laid him down.

"Where will we go? Shit."

"Sorry."

"It's okay."

"I'll be right back."

"Hurry, you know Arf wants me. She thinks I'm hot."

"Arf?"

"The wolverine, Sam, who else?"

"What is it with you and naming things?" Sam huffed. He stood, waiting for the wave of dizziness to pass before walking across the hillside, looking for someplace to use for the night. He just wanted something they could defend, nothing more. The wolverine wasn't the only predator in this area and the smell of blood might attract something, even with the fire raging up the slope.

His feet kept slipping as he walked across the hillside—a combination of the scree and his injuries starting to catch up with him. He'd gone about thirty yards from Dean when he spotted a rock ledge, he eased down the hill to go around it and spotted a dark opening. He ran to it, shining the light inside. The entrance to the cave was small, but it opened into a fairly large chamber. _Perfect, maybe our luck has turned. _Sam raced back to Dean, the sound of the water had diminished even further.

"Arf ur uff uff," the wolverine said as Sam got closer, he could see it pacing back and forth at the edge of the water.

"Found a cave," Sam said as he reached his brother.

"Cunning."

"Thanks," Sam walked quickly to the bag, picked it up, put it over his shoulder and headed back to Dean. "You ready?"

"Always, Arf was propositioning me while you were gone."

"You might be delirious."

"Oh hell ye..." Dean's comment broke off in a groan.

"Don't pass out, I'm not carrying you," Sam said wondering if he actually could at this point. _Yes, if I need to I can._

"Okay, not passing out," Dean said, leaning against him.

"Dean?"

"Let's go."

"Okay, we have to go downhill a little ways, try not and slip," Sam said as they got moving.

"You're in charge of not slipping, you're the agile one."

"What?" Sam thought he heard a splash behind them and sped up.

"Since I'm stealthy, you must be agile."

"Right." Sam heard the smirk in his brother's voice. It was a quote from somewhere but he couldn't place it.

"You so don't know, I win that round" Dean said as they approached the cave. "That looks pretty small."

"It's bigger than it looks." Sam stopped beside the opening and guide Dean down. "You're going to have to crawl, can you?"

"Sure, what are you thinking?"

"You go in, I'm going to get firewood." Sam watched as Dean eased into the cave. He handed his brother the bag and headed towards a small stand of trees, their trunks casting long shadows in the glow from the fire. _Is this smart? Are we going to get trapped? _He heard the wolverine growl. _No choice. _Sam grabbed an armful of wood and ran back to the cave. Well, he tried to run, but he was getting very close to the end of his physical endurance. He crawled into the cave and built a fire across the entrance. Dean had been silent while Sam got the blaze going. When Sam turned to check on his brother, Dean was leaning against the wall of the cave, blood trickling down his face, watching Sam with a thoughtful look. "What?" he asked as he slid down the wall to sit beside Dean.

"Huh? Oh, I was thinking about steak," Dean said so quickly Sam knew he was lying.

"Steak?"

"With all the trimmings. Or, remember that place in Oregon? With the breaded pork chops and home fries?"

"They had bread pudding made from cinnamon rolls," Sam said, playing along. It was bad, he knew it, Dean knew it, no need to rub each other's face in it.

"And they made their own ice cream."

"For breakfast they had tofu omelets."

"Eww, trust you to remember that. I remember the waffles, sourdough waffles," Dean sighed, Sam heard the hitch of pain in his brother's voice. "Maple syrup, real butter."

"They had good coffee."

"Yeah, they did. There's Arf." Dean said, pointing. Sam looked towards the entrance, the wolverine was outside the cave. He could hear it's angry "arf ur uff uff" as it walked back and forth trying to find a way past the fire. "You think that's weird?"

"What?"

"It seems kind of intent on getting to us, you'd think it was..." Dean trailed off.

"Something supernatural?"

Dean looked at him with haunted eyes, everything saying _yes, _but he grinned. "No, an agent from the rental place, that truck is toast." He chuckled. "Toast."

They were quiet. Sam fed the fire, when he got close to the entrance the wolverine rushed at him, stopping short of the fire. He dug through the bag and pulled out the shotgun. It was loaded with rock salt, which would do a lot of damage if the wolverine made it into the cave, but he wasn't sure it would kill the creature. _Especially if it's not just a wolverine. _He grabbed the extra shells and sat back down beside his brother, pain pulsing through his body. "Dean?"

"Yeah, Sammy?" Dean looked over at him.

"We're not getting out of this are we?"

"Nope, I don't think so. Sorry."

"It's my fault, I..." The guilt about what happened suddenly caught him, pulling his breath away, he felt tears in his eyes.

"No," Dean put his hand on Sam's leg to stop his words. "It was an accident, Sam, not your fault. If it's anyone's fault it's Bobby's he's the one who told us about the hunt."

"Dean..."

"Oh hell no, you don't get to do the Sam thing on this."

"Sam thing?"

"You're as good at the guilt as I am," Dean said candidly.

"Maybe better."

"No, I said as good, not better. I'm better."

"I am," Sam said with a small smile.

"Nope, me."

"Me."

"Me."

"Bitch."

"Jerk." Sam heard the pain in Dean's breathing, from the frown on his brother's face, Sam knew his brother heard the same thing in his ragged breaths. He pulled Dean against him, propping Dean up, needing the contact—and he knew Dean did, he shifted and heard Dean's breathing ease. "So, when it's over...?"

"What?"

"We haunt Bobby?"

"Now that's a cunning plan."

_**To Be Continued**_

_A/N II: The magically appearing river is based on actual geological phenomena that I was lucky (if you can call that lucky) enough to experience when I was twelve._


	33. Chapter 33

_A/N: Drabble challenge word Cover. I haven't dribbed a drabble in a few weeks and thought I would play a little. I will be back with a freak out very soon, I think it's time to maybe get those boys out of this Arf filled mess._

**Edge**

**Chapter Thirty-Three**

**On Squinching**

The fire warmed the cave, Dean leaned against Sam with a sigh.

"Dean?" Sam asked.

"I'm okay."

"Right." Sam frowned.

"There's the squinch."

"Squinch?"

"Yeah, you know that little squinchy thing you do to cover."

"The little what thing?"

"Squinch."

"Uh huh."

"You squinch, then give me _that _look."

"What look?"

"The look that says..."

"Don't die?"

"Yep."

"Well, don't."

"You didn't squinch."

"Fine, whatever, SQUINCH."

"You can't SAY it, you have to do it."

"Dean?"

"Yeah?"

"Don't die."

_**To Be Continued**_


	34. Chapter 34

_A/N: It's not my fault. Scopulus made me post this..._

**Edge**

**Chapter Thirty-Four**

**Arf's Revenge**

Sam was looking at his brother, he took a deep breath. "Dean..."

"Not dying." Dean shivered.

"Uh huh." Sam pulled off his jacket and used it to cover Dean.

"Arf ur uff uff," the wolverine snorted, trying to find a way around the fire.

"She wants me bad."

"Yeah, I think she does." Sam gripped the shotgun.

"Arf!" The wolverine leaped into the cave, grabbed Dean's leg in its jaws and starting backing out.

"DEAN!" Sam shouted, pulling the trigger. He heard Dean scream as his brother was dragged into the night.

_**To Be Continued**_


	35. Chapter 35

_A/N: Sorry, again, that this update has taken so long. It's a little longer than a drabble, I hope that's okay, I left Dean in a bit of a mess last time. I might take a little longer with the next update, but after that, clear sailing, I hope. That which gets me stuck on bedrest is finally being dealt with surgery on May 5 and after that, look out. I have stories that have been poking me, but have had to wait until I had a little computer time. And I have been given clearance for the computer during recovery, so, look out! I would like to thank you all for your support!Thanks to TraSan_

**Edge**

**Chapter Thirty-Five**

**When Bite Me Goes Too Far**

Sam plunged out of the cave after Dean and the wolverine. The hillside in front of him was dark—made all the darker by the soft glow from the fire behind him. He could heard the snuffling grunt of the animal as it dragged Dean down the hill. Since the scream moments before, Sam hadn't heard his brother at all.

"Dean!" Sam yelled, letting him know he was giving chase.

The sounds in front of him shifted, moving away from the stream that had blasted out of the mountain earlier. Other creatures gave way as the wolverine raced past them, Sam saw their shadows, dark shapes against the darker forest. He raised the gun and risked another shot, aiming high, not wanting to hit Dean, but hoping he'd stop the headlong dash of the animal. An unseen root caught his foot and he nearly fell, he grabbed a tree trunk to stop the fall. He focused on breathing, drawing air into his lungs in slow breaths, trying to force the pain away enough to get going. A sound had him moving before his body was really ready—a strange growl, a shout from Dean—and he was after them again.

Sam ran through the trees, trying to get a bearing on where they were, when there was a howl of pain—Sam hoped it was animal and not his brother. He sped up—and fell headlong over something in his path. The fall knocked the air out of his lungs and aggravated the wounds on his body. Everything disappeared for a moment in a flash of agony, then he was back, trying to force himself up to follow Dean and the wolverine—when something stopped him.

"Ouch."

"Dean? Are you okay?"

"I will be, if some jerk gets off me," Dean groaned.

"What? Oh!" Sam pushed himself away from the object he'd tripped on—Dean. He gently turned his brother over, quickly assessing damage as well as he could in the dark. _Oh god. _He looked around, trying to figure out where the wolverine was, but he couldn't see it. "We need to get back to the cave."

"'Cause it was so safe."

"Safer than here." Something growled in the dark. "We need to go, Dean."

"Not sure I can."

"Yeah, well that's not an option. Ready?" Sam stood and reached down for his brother.

"Shouldn't move me."

_Oh god, what the hell does that mean? _The growl came again, a little closer this time, a soft "Arf" with it. "We need to go."

"Sam...."

"Shut up." Sam grabbed Dean's hand and hauled his brother to his feet. Dean swayed for a moment, then his eyes rolled up and he started to drop. Sam caught him and managed to get him over his shoulder. _It's better this way, it won't hurt him as much and I don't have to listen to him bitch on the way back. _

Sam staggered with the weight as he climbed up the hill to their cave. They hadn't gone nearly as far as he thought, they were only a few hundred yards from the small fire and the relative safety of their shelter. He used trees to help pull himself up the slope, dreading the last few yards of open space in front of the cave. By the time he reached it, he was barely able to go on, each step was agony, each time he lifted his foot he was sure he would fall, but he made it. He shoved the fire aside with his foot and pushed Dean into the cave. He got Dean as far away from the mouth of the cave as he could, then slipped back out, looking for something—anything—to help.

Sam spotted a large stone on the hill to the left of the cave. He walked to it, it was large enough to block part of the cave entrance—it probably wouldn't make the mouth of the cave small enough so the wolverine couldn't get through, but it would let him intensify the fire. He gave it a push—it didn't budge, he tried with his foot, still it wouldn't move. _I need a lever. _There were several branches on the hill, Sam has passed them over as firewood because they were too green—but they might work for this. He picked one up and went to work on the stone.

"Arf ur uff uff," the soft call came from just down the slope.

"Shit," he said aloud and gave a desperate push on his lever, the stone moved. Sam managed to stop it before it rolled away and maneuvered it to the cave. He dove in and used the stick to lever it into place. The entrance was narrowed to a slit not more than two feet wide. He quickly built up the fire and moved to the back of the cave as a clawed paw came through the flames.

"Arf ur uff uff," the growl was annoyed, the paw moved in a little further. Sam hit it with his stick, and it withdrew. He put a line of salt behind the fire and leaned against the cave wall next to Dean's still form. The exertions, his wounds—everything—caught up with him in that moment, he dropped his hand on Dean's chest and let it all fade away for a minute.

**XXX**

He was warm, that was the first thing that crept into his brain. The bed was really uncomfortable, that crept in second and _oh, yeah, not in a bed_ was third. Dean tried to shift off the lump in his lower back, only to discover he couldn't really move at all. There was a warm weight on his chest, he knew it was Sam's hand without looking. He opened his eyes, his left eye opened all the way, the right managed only a slit, still it was enough to see he was in the cave, a fire burning a foot from his legs and Sam leaning against the wall.

"Sam?" he said softly. His brother didn't respond. Taking a deep breath, Dean pushed himself up on one arm, reaching for Sam's wrist with his other. When Sam took a deep breath that sounded almost like a snore, Dean didn't bother with trying to find a pulse. "Sam?" he said again. The wound on Sam's shoulder was oozing blood, he could see a dark spot on Sam's chest. A spark of panic fanned itself into flames.

"Arf ur uff uff," came a grumpy sound from the cave entrance. Dean looked over, he could just make out Arf's nose through the fire. "Arf! Ur uff uff."

"Bite me," Dean said, reaching for their bag and looping a finger in it to pull it over.

"Arf, grrrrr."

"Yeah, well too bad." He rummaged through the bag looking for the first aid kit. It wasn't there.

"Ur, uff uff, arf, rrrrr."

"I really don't care." The kit was on the floor of the cave, behind where the bag had been. He shifted his body enough to grab it and pull it towards him.

"Arf ur uff uff." The growl was closer, Dean glanced over, teeth glistened in the light of the fire.

"Wanting a little revenge there, Arf?" He got out the supplies he needed and set them beside Sam.

"Arf, grrrrrrrrrrrr."

"You started it."

"Dean?" Sam mumbled.

"Sammy, hey."

"Are you talking to the wolverine?" Sam opened his eyes.

"That's got to be a record," Dean said, smiling at Sam.

"Record?"

"I've never been hit with the full squinch that fast." Dean chuckled.

"Huh?" Sam's frowned changed to include confusion. "Oh, right."

"Can you help me up?" Dean asked.

"Dean?"

"Arf ur uff ufff," the wolverine said.

"Yeah, I told you, Arf, don't start with me. Help me up, Sam, I need to look at your shoulder."

"You are talking to the wolverine." Sam slid a hand behind his back and tried to ease him into a sitting position. At least Dean was pretty sure what was supposed to happen. All he knew was one second Sam was helping him up, the next he was flat on his back with a very anxious Sam hovering over him. "Dean?"

"Hmm?"

"You back?" Sam asked.

"I leave?"

"Yep."

"Did I have fun?" He blinked, the roof of the cave coming into focus above him.

"Yeah, it was a party," Sam said, his voice so carefully controlled, Dean wondered how much energy it took to keep it that way.

"Did I have a date?"

"Yeah, she was wearing fur."

"Oh, right, Arf. Nice girl, wouldn't want a relationship though."

"She dumped you." Sam was running his hands over Dean's leg. From the frown, Dean knew that what had been bad was much, much worse.

"Dumped me? What a bitch. Shit, Sam, that hurt."

"Sorry, your date tore up your leg."

"Arf ur uff uff, ur grrrr," the wolverine grumbled from the other side of the fire.

"You asked for it," Dean said. "You bit me first."

"First, Dean?"

"Yep."

"You bit..."

"Yep."

"You actually bit the wolverine..."

"Right on her ass."

Sam smiled. "Was that smart? I mean she could have turned on you."

"They usually do once the biting starts." _He's right, it was stupid and she should have taken a chunk out of me for that. _

"I wouldn't know."

"Right, Sammy doesn't bite. Hurts, be careful."

"Sorry."

"You did, you know," Dean said, closing his eyes as Sam probed the wound in his leg.

"Did what?"

"Bite." Dean tried to swallow the groan, but didn't manage. Sam stopped. "S'okay, Sammy, go ahead. How bad is it?"

"It's great," Sam muttered under his breath. "I didn't bite."

"You so did, used me for teething, I still have the scars."

"No, you don't."

"Yep. I'm a chew toy. Arf was just following your example."

"I didn't."

"Until I found out you liked beef jerky to chew on, I was worried I'd lose an arm."

"Ha ha." Sam's frown deepened.

"That's got to hurt," Dean said.

"What?"

"Frowning like that, it's got to hurt."

"Arf ur uff uff," the wolverine grumbled, a paw stretching into the cave again.

"My date is turning into Glenn Close, hope my rabbit survives."

"Dean?"

"Fatal Attraction, Sammy."

"Right."

"What?" Dean snapped, his brother's hands were shaking where they rested on his leg. Sam looked at him. "That bad?" he asked quietly.

"Worse than that."

"Yeah, I know."

_**To Be Continued**_


	36. If Wishes Were Coffee, Sam Would Drive

**Edge **

**Chapter Thirty-Six**

**If Wishes Were Coffee Sam Would Drive**

The fire popped, sending a spark drifting through the cave. Sam looked up from Dean's leg to watch the bright point of light The wolverine was growling at the mouth of the cave, its seeking paw still probing beyond the large rock Sam used to block the entrance. Over the sound of the fire and the mutterings of the animal, he could hear his brother's ragged breathing. Each breath Dean took must have been agony. Sam could hear a hitch of pain with every inhale. Sam sighed and started bandaging Dean's leg. Not bothering to cut the jeans away, anything he could use to help the leg clot was good, and he suspected pulling the fabric away would just hasten the end. _Dean's end. No, god, Dean no._

"It's okay, Sammy," Dean said, drawing Sam's attention back.

"Okay?" Sam asked, repressing the urge to scream at his brother.

"Yeah."

"How is this in any way okay?"

"Is there any other choice at this point?"

"Dean..." Sam growled, desperation and his own pain coming out as anger.

"Arf ur ruff ruff," the wolverine added from the door.

"We are not including you in this," Dean said, glancing at the cave entrance.

"Arf urrrr."

"Yeah, well I don't care."

"Urr, arf uff ruff."

"That's your story."

Sam looked from his brother to the cave entrance. The wolverine has its nose stuck through the small space, its teeth clearly visible in the light of the fire. "Dean?"

"Give me a minute, Sammy," Dean said, then glanced back to the door. "No, I mean it."

"Arf ur, ruff ruff, urrr," the wolverine said with a low murmur in its throat.

"No, can't have Sammy, I thought we discussed that."

"Dean?" Sam said softly, suddenly aware of how unfocused Dean's eyes were. "Hey."

"Arf ur ruff ruff."

"Yeah, well that just won't work," Dean continued as if Sam hadn't spoken.

"Hey, man." Sam laid his hand on Dean's forehead. His brother was burning up. He had no idea where the fever was coming from, it hadn't been long enough for the wounds to become infected. Sam wondered if it had something to do with the wolverine bite, he was becoming more convinced that the animal was a supernatural creature of some kind. A thought flitted through his head, a tiny wisp of an answer, but it was enough to chill him to the bone. _What if it's a werecreature? Or a shapeshifter? Oh my god, what if it infected Dean with whatever it is?_ "Dean!" he shouted, fear making his voice louder than he intended.

"Don't yell," Dean said, sounding annoyed. "What?"

"You were talking to the wolverine again."

"Arf, and no I wasn't."

"Fine, Arf, and yes you were."

"Was not."

"You were."

"Not, not, not." Dean stuck his fingers in his ears and started humming. In spite of everything, Sam chuckled. "Ha," Dean said, pulling his hands away.

"You were," Sam said. "Dean..." _Do you think Arf is...?_

"I'm pretty sure Arf is more than just a wolverine, Sam."

"Stop that."

"Stop what?" Dean grinned at him.

"Nothing. I was thinking the same thing."

"If it's some kind of werecreature you are going to have to..."

"Shut up," Sam snapped, suddenly knowing where this was going.

"Rather you do it than Bobby or someone else, Sammy."

"Dean..."

"If it was a werewolverine, Dean, the bullets would have slowed it down a little, even though I didn't get a clean shot, I know I hit it."

"Yeah?" Dean looked thoughtful. "Okay, so then what is it?"

"I don't know. Some kind of spirit creature?"

"Spirit creature? Maybe. Skinwalker?"

"They don't usually appear as wolverines."

"Or Cyclops or Rogue?" Dean asked with a smirk. "Sammy, how bad is the leg, really?"

Sam met his eyes. "It's a mess, Dean." _Oh god, Dean, what do I do? This is..._

"Yeah. Maybe you should think about.."

"You just made me admit it, didn't you? You know how bad it is, don't you?" Sam said, anger and fear getting equal purchase in his chest.

"Uh..."

"Well, while we're doing that, you want to take a look at my chest, Dean? My shoulder? Tell me how awesome they look and how I can just walk out of here?"

"Sam?" Dean frowned at him, blinking to focus. Sam immediately regretted his angry words, but if there was one thing that would keep Dean going, he knew it was... "Let me look, help me up."

"That went well last time."

"I just needed to rest my eyes."

"While you were sitting up?" Sam gently eased Dean into a sitting position, watching his face as he moved. Dean's eyes started to roll up, his muscles relaxing when Sam shook him. "Dean!"

"Yeah, right, sitting up." Dean shook his head, then grimaced. "Don't let me do that again. Okay, let me look."

"Dean..."

"You brought it up, Sam, let me look."

"Fine." Sam pulled his shirt away from the wounds.

"Fine," Dean replied absently. "Oh god, Sammy," he whispered.

"It's not that bad, Dean."

"That's my line."

"Yeah, well, I said it first."

"I'm older, I always get it first."

"No, you don't." Sam sucked in his breath as Dean probed the wound. "Shit."

"Sorry." Dean smiled. "I guess we're back to the haunting Bobby option?"

"Yeah," Sam said softly.

"Sammy..."

"It's okay, Dean."

"How is this in any way okay?"

"I said that first too." Sam stuck his tongue out.

"No you didn't."

"Then it was Arf."

"Yeah, she said it first. You should sleep for awhile, Sam, I'll keep watch," Dean said. Sam heard the unsaid statement. _"If I go to sleep, I'm afraid I won't wake up."_

"We can both keep watch, Dean." _Because if I sleep, I'm afraid you won't be here when I wake up._

"Right." Dean shifted so he was leaning against the wall beside Sam, their shoulders touching. "I'd give anything for a cup of coffee. Hot, cold—wouldn't matter."

"Anything?" Sam asked with a chuckle.

"Anything, Sammy. I'd give my car up for a cup of coffee right now."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah."

"You promise?"

"I just said I would, Sam." Dean frowned at him.

"Remember you said it." Sam leaned forward and picked up the first aid kit. He fished around and found what he was looking for, a one serving packet of coffee. He poured it into a half filled bottle of water and handed it to Dean with a grin.

"You have coffee in the first aid kit?"

"I know what medicines to pack," Sam said with a roll of his eyes.

"Not fair."

"When did you say it had to be fair?"

"Arf ur ruff ruff," the wolverine said.

"My coffee, leave me alone," Dean said to it and took a cautious sip. "Not bad, Sammy."

"Thanks."

"I'm going to die tonight."

_No, Dean, please. _"Me, too."

"No, Sam."

"Oh sure, you get to die, but I don't?"

"I'm older..."

"We are not having that argument..." Sam broke off, over the crackle of the fire and the muttering of the wolverine he thought he could hear something else.

"No argument, Sam. You aren't dying."

"Yeah," he said, distracted. The sound suddenly formed meaning in his head. "Dean! Do you hear that?"

"What?" Dean asked.

"That thumping!" Sam edged closed to the mouth of the cave so he could hear better. He could definitely hear it now.

"Nope, you're imagining it."

"No, I'm not! I have to get out of here!" Sam dug through the bag. "Where is that stuff you made last month?" _Oh god, do I dare? _

"Don't be insane, Sam."

"You got a better idea?"

"Yeah, how about anything other than setting off a bomb in a cave."

"I have to get out there, Dean, before they leave." His heart was pounding as he contemplated Dean's homemade explosive. The small charge was designed to deal with a particular kind of spirit they'd run across earlier in the year. It was mostly a flash bomb, but it was enough to do a little damage. After nearly dying trying to kill the thing, Dean had declared he would never be without the explosives again.

"There's nothing there."

"Yes, I can hear it." The thump of the helicopter was getting closer and closer. "Okay," he said more to himself than Dean. Sam grabbed Dean under the arms and dragged him as far away from the entrance to the cave as he could.

"Sam, no."

"Yeah, shut up. I'm going to throw it out the door, so it will go off out there. Hopefully..." _It will chase the wolverine away, and the guys in the helicopter will hear it. _

"Hopefully you won't kill us?"

"I said shut up. Plug your ears," Sam said, fiddling with the fuse. With a deep breath he lit it and tossed it through the small opening. As soon as it left his hand, he turned, throwing himself over Dean, blocking him from an explosion for the second time that day. _How much fun is all this? _The thought sounded remarkably like his brother's voice. The fuse was shorter than he thought, he heard a curious grunt from the wolverine, then the world exploded.

Darkness receded. Sam blinked, and pushed himself up, for a moment unsure of where he was, then memory rushed back. "Dean!" he said. His brother had his eyes closed. Sam put a hand against his neck, felt a sluggish beat and let out the breath he'd been holding. A moment later Dean's eyes opened, looking dazed. "I'm going to go out and flag them down," he said, turning to the cave entrance. The rock had been rolled away. Sam blinked. He couldn't hear the thump of the choppers blades anymore.

Dean's hand stopped him, he looked at his brother. Dean's mouth was moving, but nothing was coming out.

"What?" Sam yelled over the ringing in his ear. Then he realized, other than the ringing, he couldn't hear the fire, couldn't hear Dean, couldn't hear anything. _No time to worry. _"I'll be right back!" When Dean didn't react, Sam shook his arm. "Dean?" His brother's eyes focused on him. "I'm going to get help, okay?" Finally, Dean nodded.

Sam dove through the entrance and crawled out onto the slope. The blast had charred the hillside. He looked around, the wolverine was nowhere to be seen. Sam stood up and glanced at the sky, his heart falling when he couldn't see anything other than smoke and stars. _No, I was sure..._

The wave of despair that hit him was enough to make him stagger. He must have been hallucinating the sound, wanting so desperately to save Dean, he'd conjured up that sound out of nothing. With a shaky breath he turned back to the cave, wondering idly how long it would take for Bobby to come looking for them, and if the older hunter would burn their bodies out there in the woods. _Assuming there is anything left after this forest fire and Arf get through with us. _He stood there for a moment, paralyzed, the beating pulse in his ears the only sound. _What do I do?_

Something touched his shoulder. He jumped away, felt it pull in the wound in his shoulder, felt the sudden blossoming of agony in his chest. He raised his hands, prepared to fight off the wolverine, knowing it was hopeless.

The man stepped back, hands up, Sam blinked, expecting the apparition to disappear, but he stayed there. The man said something, Sam shook his head and pointed to his ear. The man nodded and reached out a hand towards Sam.

"My brother," Sam said, feeling his knees starting to give way. The adrenaline that had kept him going was fast running out. "He's up there." He pointed towards the small cave. "He's hurt," Sam managed to get out before his body finally gave up. He tried to take a shaky step and it proved to be too much. He lifted his foot and stepped off into darkness.

_**To Be Continued**_


	37. When Wolverines Fly

_A/N: So here we are, getting close to the end, close, perilously close to the edge... I would like to thank TraSan, InfiniteShadow and Tree for the pokes on this chapter. _

**Edge**

**Chapter Thirty-Seven**

**When Wolverines Fly**

There was a moment when his mind was lagging behind what had happened and Dean stared up at the ceiling, still dazed from the explosion. _I told Sam he was insane to try. _His brain caught up with him. _Sam! _His brother wasn't in the cave. _He said something about going for help, but from where?_ Dean lay there for another second, listening to the sounds around him, he could hear the water gurgling on the hillside and something else, a soft _whump, whump _in the distance.

He tried to push himself, to go after Sam, but couldn't get enough leverage to sit up, so he rolled over instead and got up on all fours, crawling for the mouth of the cave. After moving a few feet, his arms collapsed out from under him, he waited a moment and eased himself forward. He was halfway there—_and who would have though this cave was seven miles long?--_when something filled the door. Dean froze, waiting for Arf to attack, when he realized it wasn't the wolverine. "Sam?"

"Easy," the man said. "I need a stretcher up here!"

"Sammy?" Dean mumbled, the world greying at the edges.

"What's your name?"

"Dean. Sam?"

"Deansam? That's your name?" the man asked. He was doing something, Dean wasn't sure what, but pain shot through his body, he closed his eyes, breathing slowly and when his eyes finally opened again, he was staring at the ceiling of the cave.

"Where's Sam?"

"Hey, Deansam? Can you hear me? You'll feel a little pinch okay?" The next moment something dug into his arm.

"Shit!"

"It's okay, Deansam. Got his vitals?" the guy said to someone else. "Okay."

"I'm Dean. Where's Sam?" Panic was flaring in his chest. Where was his brother? He tried to struggle up, strong hands held him still. "Where's Sammy?"

"Dean? Okay, hang on, we need you to hold still." Something heavy was wrapped around him, enveloping his lower body, a moment later there was a pumping sound and the wrap tightened around him. The pressure was light, but still it was like being encased in mud. His stomach sank, even though he felt a little clearer. The sense of almost being buried was very much there. His breathing sped up. _Calm, these guys aren't going to kill you. Unless... What if they aren't guys? What if they are...? _"You still with us, Dean?"

"Where's Sam?" He tried to get up again—and could hardly move at all. _Oh god. _His life-long fear of being restrained was there, suddenly, blossoming in his chest with a frantic staccato beat. He was being moved, dragged onto something hard, even more unyielding than the cave floor had been. Something rigid went around his neck. _And the fun goes on. _"Where's Sam?"

"Okay, we're taking you to the chopper, Dean." His whole body was lifted and he was eased out of the cave.

"Chopper?" Dean asked hazily. "Chop...? Helicopter? Oh no, oh hell no! No, no! Leave me come back in a truck." _No flying. No FLYING! _He tried to escape from the moving stretcher, only to find he was really strapped down. _Really, really, really. Let me up! _He was held immobile, it felt a little like he was suffocating. _When did that happen​ _"Sam?"

"I'm Keith, that's Doug at your feet. Hold still."

"Where's Sam?" Dean said, his voice muffled. _And it just gets better. _

"What?" Keith asked, bending over him.

"Sam?"

"Sam?"

"Brother."

"Oh! Tall guy? Dark hair? We got him."

The _whump whump _was getting closer. Dean could see the sweep of the blades over his head a moment later. His heart rate sped up. He tried taking a calming breath, only to have the fact that there was an oxygen mask on his face slammed home, which made him claustrophobic, which increased his heart rate, which made him want to move, which made him realize he was strapped down, which increased his heart rate, which made him realize he was about to be loaded into a helicopter, which increased his heart rate. _Oh god. Ohgod. Ohgodohgodohgodohgodohgod._

"Calm down!" Keith said.

"Truck, I'll wait for a truck," he said, still trying to get away. He couldn't move at all. "Where's Sammy? Get me out of here!" The helicopter was in view now. "NO!" Dean shouted. "Sam!" His heart was pretty much exploding in his chest as he desperately fought to get away.

"Dean!" Keith tapped his chest to get his attention. "Sam said he will wait for the truck with you, if you want to us to leave you. I don't think that's a good idea, he's in bad shape."

"Sammy?" Dean stopped struggling, even though his heart was slamming so hard against his ribs it hurt. He tried to take a calming breath. "Okay." He closed his eyes as he was lifted on board.

"Arf ur ruff ruff," the wolverine suddenly said, the growl loud even over the sound of the helicopter.

"Wolverine." Dean tried to get Keith's attention.

"Arf, grrr, uff ruff," it chuckled.

"What the hell is that?" Keith said.

A scream pierced the air.

"DOUG! Oh my god, it's got Doug!"

Shots rang out.

"What's happening?" Dean asked, no one heard him. "Sam? Is he okay?"

"GO! GO, GO, GO!" Keith dove in beside Dean and the door slammed closed. The sound of the spinning turbine picked up, whining up a tone. "Doug's dead!" Keith shouted over the noise.

"Arf must have got him," Dean said to no one in particular.

The helicopter started to move.

_Oh god. No, please no flying... Would rather stay with Arf, no flying, oh god, no, are we moving? Is Sammy okay? They said bad shape. Oh god, flying. No, put me back, oh shit, oh god, oh no, oh please, oh god. _The words spun around in his head, each one increasing with volume as the chopper lifted off the ground. "SAM!" he shouted.

"I'm here!"

He tried to calm himself. _Sam's here, he's hurt, needs a doctor. Okay, I can do this. Oh god. What was that? No flying, no flying, let me out, please. _He couldn't hear anything but the _whump _of the blades and the beating of his heart. The helicopter lurched as it lifted off, buffeted by the winds from the fire. _Oh god, no flying! Oh please, let me up! _He fought against the straps holding him down, fought to get the mask off his face.

Occasionally words filtered in "agitated" and "panic" and "agitated" again, then "risk it." Shortly after that, calm started oozing through his body. His muscles relaxed their fight against the bonds holding him motionless and _woo hoo, flying _replaced the frantic refrain in his head. _Sam? _He opened his eyes as far as they would go and tried to see the other side of the helicopter. He could make out an IV bag and the line going down. He tried to move his head to see, but it wouldn't budge, so he rolled his eyes as far as they could go and just made out the other stretcher and Sam's dark hair. _He's here, okay, getting him to safety. Good plan, got Sam onto a helicopter. Oh god, I'm on one too, but hey kinda cool. Oh, I bet they gave me something. _He closed his eyes again.

The sounds of the helicopter were gone when his eyes were willing to open again. He blinked and stared at a tiled ceiling. Voices began to drift into his hazy awareness. The artificially calm tones of the medical profession. _Hospital. Is Sam okay? Sam! _His heart sped up again.

"How is my brother? Why won't you tell me?" a voice growled from his left. _Sam. _Dean took a deep breath.

"Calm down," a clipped female voice said.

"Sam?" Dean said, his voice still muffled by an oxygen mask.

"Dean! Hey, man."

"You okay?"

"Yeah."

"We flew."

"I know," Sam said with a chuckle. "You didn't like it much."

"Not funny."

"It's a little funny." There was a pause, Dean heard the rumble of another voice. "How is he?" Sam asked, his voice calm, without emotion. _Oh, that's so bad. _

"We're waiting on a surgeon," the other person said.

"How long?"

"Not too long," the doctor said.

"How's Sam?" Dean said, trying to forestall an explosion from his brother.

"He's fine," the doctor said, stepping over so Dean could see him. "I'm Dr Ford."

"Hey. How's Sam?" Dean repeated. _Because last time I saw him, so not fine. _

"He's going to be fine, how's that?" Dr. Ford said with a smile. "If he rests." He turned to frown at the other bed. "How's your pain?"

"Awesome."

"On a scale of one to ten?"

"Five? Maybe six?"

"Right, son," Dr. Ford laughed. "Mary? Let's get him something for pain."

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a blond walk past the bed and out the door on his right.

He sighed, maybe, just maybe they'd made it.

"Arf ur ruff ruff," something said from the doorway.

_**To Be Continued**_

_A/N II: Scopulus made me do it! He did!!_


	38. You Have To Stop Her!

_A/N: Thank you everyone for reading and reviewing. We're getting close now! Thanks to TraSan._

**Edge**

**Chapter Thirty-Eight**

**You Have To Stop Her!**

The emergency room was full of movement. Sam watched the nurses bustle back and forth, the bulk of their energy seemed to be focused on Dean. The doctor was worried about his brother, Sam could tell from the man's smiling calm. The more they smiled, the more Sam panicked. The doctor had said they were having a surgeon flown in, which ramped up his panic even further. Sam tried to get out of bed and check on Dean, but each time a nurse would push him down with a stern order to relax. He couldn't relax—not until he could see Dean, so he was biding his time. He smiled at the nurse as she left, then slid out of bed, steadying himself with a hand on the wall as dizziness washed over him.

Sam walked to the other bed, dragging his IV with him. "Dean?" he asked, putting his hand down on his brother's arm. _Oh god. _It was the worst Dean had ever looked. Pain marred his face, he was sheet-white. There was an IV bag full of blood, and another full of something else.

"Sam?" Dean said, his voice muffled by the oxygen mask. "You okay?"

"You asked that," Sam huffed. "Three times, the answer is still the same. I'm okay."

"Oh." Dean's eyes fluttered open. They were glazed with pain and hazy from the medication he was getting. "You sure you're okay?"

"What? Yes!"

"No, that's a bad idea," Dean said, turning towards the door.

"Dean?" Sam gave his arm a squeeze. "Hey!" His brother ignored him. _What's going on?_

"No nurses."

"They just left, they'll be back."

"NO!" Dean shouted, trying to force himself up. Sam held him down. "No, you can't!"

"Dean! Calm down!" Sam said, trying to keep his brother from hurting himself. He managed to hit the call button. "Dean!"

"I told you no!" Dean said to the open doorway. "Sam, you have to stop her. You have to!" Dean finally focused on Sam.

"What are you talking about?"

"What's going on?" a woman in scrubs said as she ran into the room.

"I don't know," Sam said.

"You have to stop her, Sammy!"

"You have to calm down," the nurse said firmly.

"No shit," Sam muttered, surprising himself. Sometimes he sounded a lot like his brother.

"I'll be right back," she said.

"Stop her!" Dean shouted.

The nurse bustled out, and was back a few moments later. She screwed a syringe into one of the ports on the IV and within seconds Dean started to relax, the fight dropping slowly away. "He needs to stay calm. And you need to be in bed." She pointed at the other bed.

"No, Sammy..."

"Let me stay here. He'll stay calm." Sam turned the full puppy-dog eyes on her. _Please? _

"I'm not..." she began, then blushed. Dean looked from the nurse to Sam and back, blinking hazy eyes. "I guess it's okay, but not for long," she said with a smile.

"Thank you," Sam said, smiling back.

"That's not fair, doing that to her," Dean mumbled. "Have to stop her."

"What?" Sam asked, putting enough pressure on the hand on Dean's shoulder to keep him still.

"Stop her." Dean looked desperate, the drug was working through his system and even his feeble efforts to move were dissipating.

"The nurse won't be gone long, Dean."

"No, Sammy. Arf, you have to stop her."

"Arf?" It took Sam a moment to realize what his brother was talking about. "We're in a hospital, Dean, not the cave. The wolverine isn't here."

"Heard her."

"We're in a hospital," Sam said patiently.

"She was at the door, you have to stop her. I heard her." Dean looked so upset, Sam stood and walked to the door. He glanced out, there was a nurses' station in the center of the ER, some of the rooms had doors and others had curtains. Most of the doors were open. There was a set of double doors on the wall across from him.

"There's nothing out there," Sam said, dropping back into the chair by the bed.

"She's here, I heard her at the door."

"Dean..."

"If you say we're in the hospital again," Dean trailed off. He turned towards the door again.

"But we are, and you'd think they'd notice a wolverine." The panic that had been pulsing through his chest had increased until it was screaming though his head. Sam shifted his hand to feel his brother's forehead. _He's burning up. He always get this way with a fever. _He wasn't sure he should be glad of that or not, at least it explained the delusions.

"She's here, Sammy," Dean said desperately. "You have to stop her."

"It's okay, Dean, they are going to take care of you, you'll be fine," Sam said soothingly. _Please let him be okay. _His brother was fading. "We're safe."

"_We_ are, for right now, but she told me she..."

Dean stopped when a shout of "Is that a dog?" came from outside the room. "Get it out of here!"

Sam got up again and walked to the door, he thought he saw the back end of a dog disappear through the double doors. _It must be a service dog, and a big one. Maybe a shepherd mix of some kind. _He watched as the security guard ran through the doors in pursuit of the animal. As he stood there, dizziness washed over him. He held onto the door frame until it passed, then headed back to Dean's bed.

"Told you," Dean said with a smirk.

"Told me what?"

"Arf's here."

"It's someone's dog," Sam said wearily.

"It's Arf, Sam, you have to stop her." Dean tried to reach for his hand. Sam grabbed it in his own and gave it a squeeze. "Please."

"Okay, Dean, I'll check it out, as soon as they take you to surgery."

"Promise?"

"Yeah." Sam swallowed. What he really wanted to do was close his eyes and let everything fade away for a few hours.

"Sammy, how bad are you?" Dean asked, his concern suddenly focused completely on Sam.

"I'm okay." Sam smiled. He looked up when Dr. Ford came through the door. "Doc?"

"The surgeon is on his way," he said. "It won't be too long now. You need to be in bed."

"I want to sit with him," Sam said. "Doc, I..."

"I understand, but we need to take care of you too. Just rest for a minute or two."

"But..."

"Sammy?" Dean said softly.

"What is it, Dean?"

"Go to bed."

"Dean..."

"Sammy..." He tightened his grip on Sam's hand.

"I'll be right here, Dean."

"I know. Sam..."

"Yeah, Dean, I know."

The doctor pulled Sam gently to his feet and guided him back to the bed. "If you don't stay put, I'll make sure you do."

"How's my brother?" Sam asked quietly.

"He's..."

"Don't lie to me, please."

The doctor frowned. "Okay. It's not good, son. The longer we have to wait, the worse his chances get." He patted Sam's arm. "We're going to do our best for him—and you too, but you have to stay put."

"Okay," Sam said, closing his eyes. _I'll just close them until he leaves, then go back to Dean. _The movement of the bed caused him to open his eyes. He looked up at the ceiling tiles, they were moving. "What's going on?"

"We're taking you to your room."

"Dean?" Sam tried to sit up.

"Don't worry, we're taking good care of him," the guy pushing the bed said with a saccharin smile.

"Where is he?"

"We have a few tests to run, then the surgeon should be here."

Sam leaned back in the bed, trying to stay calm. As they went through the double doors he noticed activity down the other branch of the hallway. He pushed himself up on his elbow to get a better look. The security guard and a police officer were standing by what looked like a closet door. One of the ER nurses was talking to them, tears on her face. Shifting a little, he noticed a dark stain coming out from under the door.

"What happened?" Sam asked.

"Uh, nothing," the man said, glancing down the hallway.

A sudden sense of foreboding gripped Sam. "What happened?" he asked again. _Oh god, what if Dean wasn't delusional? _

"Nothing."

"Yeah." Sam watched what was going on as long as he could, then leaned back, watching the ceiling go by. They pushed him into a room a few minutes later. He glanced around, it was a double but he was the only one there. A nurse came in and checked his vitals, adjusted the IV and left. He waited for her to leave, then picked up the phone.

"What?" Bobby answered on the second ring.

"Hey, Bobby."

"How bad is it?"

"What?" Sam asked, feeling slow.

"Caller ID says this is a hospital number. What happened?"

"Long story." Sam sighed. "Look, I need to know..." _God, how to explain it? _

"Sam?"

"We ran into a wolverine in the woods."

"There aren't any out there."

"Yeah, well there was. I'm pretty sure it was supernatural, and there is a chance it's here."

"Here? Where?" Bobby paused. "In the hospital?"

"Yeah, Dean said he saw it."

"Okay. Where's Dean?" Bobby said. In the background Sam could hear the sound of pages turning.

"He, they're..."

"That bad?"

"Yeah," Sam said, grateful Bobby understood.

"I need to make a call, where can I reach you?" Bobby's voice was gruff, demanding, Sam knew it was covering concern. He read the number of the room's phone. "Okay, give me five." Bobby broke the connection.

Sam hung up the receiver and stared at the phone. The pain medication they were giving him was making him groggy. He closed his eyes, waiting for the phone to ring, listening to the sounds of the ward. There was a TV on in one of the rooms, he could hear Judge Judy berating someone.

"They found Mort," a female voice said. Sam concentrated on the voice, trying to shut out all the other noises. Something about the way she said it, he knew Mort was dead.

"Where?" another voice asked.

"In a storage room outside of X-ray. He'd gone on break after his last patient, and when he didn't come back Regina went to see where he was so she could take her break. She saw the blood..."

"Like Mary?"

"Yeah, torn to bits, according to Kevin from security."

"What do they think..."

The phone rang, startling Sam, he knocked the receiver off the cradle, then dragged the earpiece up by the cord. "Hello?"

"You said it was a wolverine?" Bobby asked without preamble.

"Yeah."

"Was there a fire?"

"Our truck exploded," Sam said, wondering what that had to do with anything. _Dean? Be okay. _

"Your truck WHAT?" Bobby shouted. Sam heard the older hunter draw a breath and let it out slowly. "Okay. Did the creature appear before or after the fire?"

"After."

"Was there a stream or river there?"

"Not when we got there."

"What does that mean?"

"There wasn't one, but then..."

"One appeared? Out of nowhere?"

"Sort of, the hillside blasted out."

"The hillside..." Another slow breath on Bobby's end of the phone. "Did the creature attack you?"

"Yeah, it seemed to be more focused on Dean, though," Sam said, running over the events in his head.

"Okay, I think I know what we're dealing with."

"Bobby?"

"It's a spirit animal, like a guardian, summoned by magic. There was a time when the summoning was mutual. The creature and a human would—I guess mate is the word. The human having an almost were-existence, sharing his life with the animal, then after death he joins the creature and they roam together. Problem is it requires big mojo to do, blood sacrifices and things like that. But it should be fine."

"Fine?" Sam choked out.

"Yeah. We can stop it."

"I think it's killing people here, Bobby."

"Who?"

"A nurse and an X-ray tech."

"Were they with Dean?" Bobby asked.

"Maybe, I'm not sure."

"Huh. Well, I still think it will be okay, Sam."

"How?" _How can this possibly be okay​?_

"The magic needs to be completed, Sam."

"How do you know it wasn't?"

"I know Dean wouldn't go and bite a wolverine." Bobby chuckled. Sam was silent. "Sam?"

"Uh..."

"He bit it?!? Tell me he didn't bite it!"

"Right in the ass," Sam said, repeating Dean's words. Bobby was silent. "Bobby?"

"We got a problem."

"That bad?" Sam asked.

"Worse."

_**To Be Continued**_


	39. Arf Visits The Operating Room

_A/N: I am so sorry this chapter has taken so long. I am slowly catching up with things. The next chapter of this is also ready to go, but Scopulus said it would be unfair to give it to you all at once, he said you all would scream and cry, and this was the way I had to do it. He was very convincing, so all complaints should be addressed to Scopie. He's a bad, bad demon. Thank you all for reading and reviewing! Thanks to TraSan._

**Chapter Thirty-Nine**

**Arf Visits The Operating Room**

Dean stared at the ceiling, he was getting tired of looking at it, but he'd discovered that he could ignore the pain more if he kept his eyes focused on the tiles over his head. He really had no idea what was going on, they'd taken him from his room in the ER, down to X-ray, then parked him here. A nurse had appeared and explained that there was some kind of hold up, but someone would be in to prep him for surgery in a few minutes.

According to the clock that had been twenty minutes ago, and nobody had come. He knew his body was giving out, he wasn't going to last much longer and he wondered why no one had even checked on him. At one point he thought he'd heard a gurgling scream, but had chocked it up to the drugs and everything else, and tried to relax, wishing he could see Sam, wondering how his brother was doing. _Would they tell me if he died? _Despair curled through his chest, making his heart pound in sympathy.

A door to his left opened and a nurse came in, she had an odd look on her face, but smiled at him. "We're all ready to take you back."

"My brother?" Dean asked, his voice barely a whisper.

"Brother?" She frowned at him.

"Brought in with me?"

"I'm sure he's okay," she said swiftly. "I'll make sure someone checks on him for you." She released the breaks on the bed and pushed him down the corridor.

"Thanks." Relief flooded him, even though he knew she was probably just saying it.

A set of double doors opened and she pushed him into a soft blue room. He wondered who had the brilliant idea to paint operating rooms blue or green, everyone he had ever seen was that color. The surgical team was there, moving around with cool efficiency. Dean sighed, letting himself relax. He only needed to hold on a little longer and everything would be okay.

"Arf ur ruff ruff."

Dean lifted his head from the bed in time to see the mass of brown fur launch itself at a nurse.

**XXX**

It was quiet in the room, Sam tuned the noise in the corridor out and focused on the conversation with Bobby. He was gripping the receiver so tight his hand ached. Taking a deep breath, he let it out slowly through his nose. "Worse? How worse?" he asked the older hunter, resisting the urge to scream, knowing it wouldn't help and would probably hurt.

"It wants to mate with Dean," Bobby said patiently.

"And?"

"And since he was stupid enough to bite the thing, it can."

"It can mate with Dean?" The drugs were making him slow. _That doesn't sound good. _"Bobby?" Sam sensed he was holding something back.

"It will kill everyone who comes into contact with him—then go after Dean so they can be together."

"Go after?"

"Kill him, Sam. It will tie itself to him and there won't be any way for us to stop it."

"Can we stop it now?"

"I think so." Bobby sighed, there was the sound of turning pages. "We can put it back into hibernation."

"We can't kill it?"

"No, we can just send it back to where it came from."

"Can it come after Dean again?" There was a long, long pause. "You still there, Bobby?"

"Yeah."

"What?" Sam snapped.

"It might try and take him when he dies, but we have a little time to deal with that problem."

"I guess so," Sam said. _Considering the life we live, maybe not as much time as other people. _

"We'll worry about that later, maybe I can find an amulet or charm to protect him."

There was a loud disturbance down the corridor. Sam swung his legs out of bed. "How do I take care of it, Bobby?"

"Fire."

"You want me to light a fire in a hospital?"

"It's the only way, Sam."

"I really hate it when you say that."

"You sound like your brother," Bobby said with a worried laugh.

A scream tore through the quiet. "I've got to go, Bobby, I'll let you know." Sam hung up the phone, looking at his hands. He could manage the phone but the bandages would keep him from doing anything else. Grinding his teeth together, he unwound the bandages and tossed them in the wastebasket. With a groan he unhooked the IV from his arm, pulled off the monitor leads and picked up the bag of his clothes. He dumped the contents out on the bed, digging through pockets until he found his lighter. After making sure it still worked, he ran out the door. "Where's surgery?" he demanded of the first person he saw, a wide-eyed nurses' assistant wearing scrubs with teddy bears on them.

"Sir, you need to return to your room."

"Where's the OR?" he demanded, taking a step forward, towering over her. She pointed down the hall. "Thanks." Sam raced down the corridor, ignoring the looks he was getting from staff and other patients as he passed them. A teenage boy sniggered as he ran past. That's when it hit him—he was wearing a hospital gown and nothing else. Dean would never let him live it down.

He spotted a janitor's closet and tried the door, thankfully it opened and he stepped in, looking for something to uses as a flame thrower. The shelves were full of cleaners, paper goods and plastic bins. Sam was getting desperate, the need to get to Dean starting to blind him to everything, when he noticed several aerosol cans. He grabbed two of them and headed back into the hallway.

Another scream tore through the corridor. It came from somewhere up ahead, to Sam's left. _The OR. _He followed the sound and sprinted the last few yards to the doors that led into surgery. He could hear security shouting behind him as he burst through the doors.

There was blood everywhere.

A mangled body was lying under the edge of the bed, there was an arm in front of the doors, Dean was sitting up, his legs off the side of the bed and the wolverine had a man in scrubs pinned in the far corner of the room, one paw on his chest, its teeth inches from the man's face.

"Let him go," Dean was saying as Sam ran into the room.

"Dean!" Sam shouted.

"Sammy?" his brother said, turning to look him, his eyes unfocused. "What...?"

A security guard came through the door behind Sam and froze in the entrance. "What the hell?" he whispered, glancing around the room. A fleeting look crossed his face and he turned away, gagging.

"Great," Sam muttered.

The wolverine must have registered Sam's presence; it dropped onto all fours and turned to him with a snarl. The doctor inched along the wall, trying to get away from the creature, his face sheet-white and flecked with blood. The wolverine took a step towards Sam, just one, and stopped, cocking its head from side to side, like it was sizing him up. It made a soft, contemplative "Arfffff" under its breath, almost like it was talking to itself.

"No," Dean said, bracing his hand on the bed like he planned on standing up.

"Dean, no," Sam said desperately.

"You can't have him." Dean's attention was focused on the wolverine, one hand out in a gesture of entreaty.

"Dean," Sam growled.

His brother managed to stand on shaky legs, the IVs running from his arms, crazed spiderwebs attaching him to the bed. "Arf, please. Yes, I will, just leave them." Dean's knees buckled, but he grabbed the side of the bed to stay upright.

"Arf ur ruff ruff?"

"Yes, yes."

The wolverine looked from Sam to Dean. "Arf."

"No," Dean said, his voice gruff.

"Arf ur ruff ruff." It turned its gaze back on Dean. "Arf."

Sam felt panic coil in the base of his spine, running across his chest in a tight band. The creature had fixed a steely look on Dean, shifting on his front paws. Dean took a step towards it, his hand still outstretched, a frown on his pale face. The wolverine took a deep breath—Sam saw its sides rise and fall—and launched itself towards his brother.

"NO!" Sam threw his battered body at the creature. It hit him in the chest and they dropped onto the hard floor, the aerosol cans skittering away as they fell.

"Sammy!"

Sam tried to roll away, the wolverine was snapping at his neck, he managed to get one hand under its throat holding it inches from its target. It struck out with its back legs, claws raking into his legs. Sam screamed in pain and rage and tried to get the heavy creature—seemingly growing heavier by the second—off him long enough to grab the spray can. Movement out of the corner of his eye distracted him for an instant. Dean kicked the wolverine in the side, it shifted its attention from Sam to his brother, grabbing Dean's ankle and pulling him across the floor.

"NO!" Sam yelled, grabbed the spray can and dove forward on top the creature's back. It dropped Dean and roared in fury, rearing up on its hind legs, trying to dislodge Sam. He held on long enough to slip off to the side, lifting the spray can and flicking the lighter to life in the same moment. Flames shot out, engulfing the wolverine. It screamed, anger pulsing through the sound. Turning it reached out and swung a giant paw at Dean, sending his brother slamming into the wall. Sam kept the flames aimed at the creature.

It started growing.

_I've finally lost it. _Sam couldn't believe his eyes at first, but the wolverine was definitely getting bigger, its paws at least twice the size they'd been before, the mass of it slowly filling the corner of the OR. The can started sputtering. Sam dropped it and grabbed the other in a swift motion, not letting the flames halt for more than a second. The creature was absorbing the flames as it grew, the fire scorching the wall behind it but nothing more. Sam's panicked glance fell on Dean, his brother was huddled in the far corner well away from the wolverine, blood everywhere.

The creature was now immense, towering over Sam, claws the size of swords glistening on the end of massive paws. It let out a huge, deafening "Arf" and disappeared. Sam had been expecting it to blast apart, or burn, the way a spirit did—but it didn't. It completely vanished, there one moment, threatening, blood dripping from a flame-filled body, the next it was gone, a lingering smell of singed fur and, oddly, pine trees eddying through the room.

"Dean!" Sam dropped the can and crawled towards his brother, pulling Dean's body into his arms and putting his cheek on the top of his brother's head. "It's gone, Dean. I've got you," he assured him. "I've got you." He tightened his arms and collapsed into the dark.

_**To Be Continued**_


	40. All Good Things

_A/N: So, one year ago today I posted the first drabble that became this story, I thought it fitting to post this today. Thank you all for reading and reviewing and angsting along with me and the boys! Thanks you TraSan. (The title is from... Well, you geeks will know—TraSan, I'm talking to you!)_

**Edge**

**Chapter Forty**

**All Good Things...**

Sam was wrapped in a warm blanket of pain-free comfort when the dark began to recede. He lay there and listened to the sounds around him, letting the world slowly come back. There was a soft beeping to his right, the whisper of air, a television set to an auto-repair show by the sounds of it and a rumbling snore from his left. He took a cautious breath, the medicinal smell of oxygen flowed into his nose. Shifting, he felt the deep pull of stitches, they didn't really hurt, it was more an awareness they were there. They must have him heavily drugged. The sleeper snorted, Sam heard him jerk upright, then mutter under his breath.

"Bobby?" he asked before he opened his eyes. He suspected that it would be a struggle to get them open the first time.

"Sam?" the older hunter's voice was gruff with emotion. "You there?"

"Yeah," Sam answered, opening his eyes and turning his head to look at Bobby. "Hey." His throat ached and his voice sounded scratchy to his ears.

"Hey," Bobby said, relief flooding his face.

"Dean?" He started coughing, Bobby grabbed a cup of water and held it to Sam's lips so he could take a sip. "Thanks."

"Sure." Bobby put the cup down and looked at the end of the bed.

"How's Dean, Bobby?"

"Sam..." Bobby glanced at him, at the window, the TV, the corridor and finally ended up staring at the monitor behind Sam's head.

"Dean, Bobby. Is he dead?"

"No," the older hunter said with a sigh.

Sam waited for more, when Bobby didn't add anything he panic started throbbing in his chest. "What?" he demanded.

"Sam, calm down, boy."

"How's Dean?" Sam snarled, trying to push himself up. His body didn't respond much, only enough to raise his head off the pillow.

"He's... It's not good." Bobby looked at him, grief on his face.

"I need to see him!"

"You need to stay put, you idjit. I thought I'd lost you both, you are going to stay there until the doctor says you can move you ass, your understand me?"

"Bobby, I..."

"No. You have been out for three damn days, Sam, you are not doing anything until you get an all clear. I will check on Dean for you, okay?"

"Yes, sir," Sam said meekly. Bobby rarely lost his temper like that, and Sam knew it was only motivated by affection. "Can you go now?"

"I will, I was going to go get coffee anyway. Stay here."

"I will."

"Give me your word."

"Bobby..."

"Uh huh, I thought so. Give me your word, Sam."

"I'll stay, promise."

"Thanks."

Sam watched Bobby leave the room, a few minutes later a nurse came in and checked on him. The TV was droning on about replacing a head gasket; he watched it for a moment, worry for Dean pulsing through his body. He was actually considering breaking his word to Bobby and going to find Dean when he drifted off to sleep.

Bobby's voice woke him sometime later. The older man was speaking with someone, Sam caught his brother's name and tried to focus on what was being said. He could tell from the tone in their voices something was seriously wrong. Before he could ask was going on, he heard footsteps leaving the room. Opening his eyes, he discovered he was alone. "Bobby?" he called softly, no one answered. Sam was halfway to sitting up when Bobby appeared in the door.

"What the hell are you doing?" the hunter demanded with a growl.

"I need to check on Dean."

"I told you I would let you know," Bobby said, coming into the room and pushing Sam back into bed.

"Well?"

"He's still alive."

"But?"

"Sam, he was torn up pretty bad, even before what happened in the OR. The surgeon was injured and we had to wait for another to come, so Dean had to wait. It's not good."

"Is the creature gone?"

Bobby chuckled. "Yep."

"What's funny?"

"Oh, the staff is calling it 'the incident' like it was something they could explain, not a wolverine attacking people. You done good," Bobby said gently.

"Why didn't tell me it would grow?"

"Grow?"

"As soon as I hit it with the flames, it started growing. Right before it disappeared it was at least fifteen feet. It was hunched over, on all fours, but its shoulder was brushing the ceiling."

"I didn't know, Sam," Bobby said sincerely. "I didn't see anything like that in the lore. I'll look into it."

"When can I see Dean?"

"I spoke with your doctor, he said you could go in the morning." Bobby raised his hand to stop the protest before Sam could voice it. "You need more sleep."

"But..." Sam tried to fight the yawn that was starting.

"Sleep. If anything happens, Sam, I'll wake you."

"'Kay." Sam closed his eyes and was asleep before Bobby could say anything more.

The hospital smelled like bacon and coffee as Bobby rolled Sam down the corridor to Dean's room. Sam felt stronger. The stitches were starting to ache and they'd already backed his pain medication off, he took it as a good sign. The doctor had come in and spoken to him about recovery time and the extent of his injuries. Bobby had listened like the concerned uncle he was supposed to be and assured the doctor that he was already making plans for him and Dean to stay with him. That's when the doctor's face changed. He looked grave and shook his head, before cautioning Bobby to keep an eye on Sam and let them go to Dean's room.

The door was open when they got there and Bobby pushed him into the room, stopping the wheelchair by the bed. _Oh god, Dean. _Sam reached out and put his hand on his brother's arm, needing the contact, suspecting Dean might need it, too. For all his grumbles on the subject, Dean was the physical one and that contact had helped keep Sam anchored most of his life—a head slap, a punch, leaning against the Impala, their shoulders touching—it kept him going even when things looked hopeless.

"Bobby? Can I have a minute?"

"Sure, Sam. I'll get a cup of coffee." Bobby gave his shoulder a squeeze and quietly left the room.

Sam felt tears burn in his eyes. "Hey, Dean. Sorry I wasn't here sooner, Bobby wouldn't let me come until now. I'm okay," he added quickly, knowing what Dean would think if he could hear the statement. "You were right, Arf was here. Bobby thinks she wanted to mate with you. You can really pick them, you know?" The tears broke loose and started down his cheeks. "Dean, please..." he whispered. "Please hang on."

**XXX**

It was the best day he'd had in a long time. Just a day to relax and enjoy things—things in this case being the long-legged brunette currently sunbathing on the river bank. She'd chosen a place beside a deep pool and the water made a soft whooshing sound as it ran around a boulder at the edge of the pool. Dean was stretched out on a large flat rock, the sun warming him. It wasn't the best place to rest, the stone had several sharp pieces that were digging into his leg and back, but all-in-all it was okay. He sighed a little, listening to the water and the soft breeze, there were birds singing in the distance with an odd, very regular cheep. He could hear the murmur of voices from further down the river, muted by all the other sounds of the day.

The woman noticed him and smiled before she stood and stretched, he watched appreciatively and she walked slowly towards him, hips swaying her shaggy fur cape catching the sun and lighting up like a halo.

_Shaggy fur cape?_

He sat up and swung his legs over the side of his rock, a sharp piece of the stone jabbing his ankle as he did. She'd slowed down, taking her own sweet time to get to him. He smiled at her, she grinned back, long teeth sparkling in the bright light.

_Long teeth? _

She stopped in front of him, making a soft purring sound deep in her throat, the smile lighting her eyes, inviting Dean to fall into them and just stay there. She raised a hand and raked her sharp brown nails through his hair.

_Sharp brown nails?_

"You're Arf, aren't you?" he asked her. And why, oh why, were all the hot girls freaks?

"Arf?" Her voice had a deep growl to it. "Yes, I guess I am." She laughed, the sound purring through her.

"Great."

"But Dean, you bit me," she pouted.

"You bit me first."

"I did."

"Dean!" Sam called from somewhere.

"Coming, Sammy," he yelled back. "I've got to go."

"Go where?" She looked around the forest, at the light dancing on the water. "Wouldn't you rather stay here?" She leaned forward to whisper her name in his ear.

"I can't."

"Yes, you can." She moved even closer, the warmth of her skin radiating through his jeans.

"Am I dead?" he asked, suddenly understanding what was going on.

"No, not yet."

"Is my brother dead?" Knowing staying there depended on the answer to that question.

"No."

"Then I can't stay, I need to go back."

"Please stay."

"No, I can't, not now."

"Will you come back?" She asked, tears gathering in her bottomless eyes.

Dean looked around the quiet forest, breathing in the smell of water and pine trees, of fallen leaves and sunshine warming the earth. "Maybe."

She sighed and nodded sadly, running her hand over his face one last time, before turning and walking away. He watched her, part of him wanting to follow. He took a deep breath, aware of thirst burning in his throat and laid back down on the rock, glancing up and the sky before he closed his eyes, the sounds of the forest around him as he drifted off.

The birds were still chirping as he woke, it took a moment for his brain to catch up and identify the noise not as animals, but the beeping of a monitor. The sound of the wind the hiss of air, the breeze on his face coming from the canula in his nose. The warmth on his hand wasn't sunlight, but the heavy weight of a hand.

"What did he say?" Sam said, his voice weary beyond words, grief so present in the tone it made Dean's throat ache.

"Sam, they," Bobby began, then stopped and cleared his throat.

"Oh," Sam whispered. "No, Bobby." Sam took a breath, Dean heard the hitch of pain and something else, which was so not good.

"Sam."

"No," Sam growled.

The desperation in his brother's voice spurred Dean to action, he tried to open his eyes, only to find them stuck close. He changed the plan of attack, focusing everything he had into his hand, willing it to move. After something that felt like days, his fingers started to move. It wasn't much, he hoped it was enough.

"Dean?"

"Sam?" Bobby said, his voice gruff with concern.

"Dean?" Sam said again. Dean's hand was moved so it was palm up. "Are you there?"

Dean took a deep breath and concentrated. This time he managed to get his hand to close around Sam's. He heard his brother's sharp intake a breath, then Sam's hand tightened on his, the other closing around it as well, the rough texture of bandages under his finger. With another deep breath, he tried to force his vocal chords into action. "Sam?"

"Dean? Hey, can you open your eyes?"

"What's happening, Sam?" Bobby asked.

"He's there, Bobby, his hand moved."

"Sam, you're imaging things, I'm sorry, but..." Bobby said gently.

"No, he's there. Dean? Can you open your eyes? Please?"

He could picture Sam's face, that tight squinch between his eyebrows, tears filling his eyes, making the lid red and probably the puppy-look, the one that Dean was sure could get anyone to do anything anywhere if used correctly. _Coming, Sammy, give me a minute. _With more effort than he would ever have thought possible, he managed to get his eyelids into motion. At first only a tiny sliver of light was present. He ground his teeth together and got them the rest of the way open. He didn't risk blinking, for fear they wouldn't open again, instead he turned them towards his brother—and he'd been right, the exact look he'd pictured was there on Sam's face.

"Hey, man," Sam said with a sigh of relief, a smile lighting his face and dimpling his cheeks.

"Sam?"

"I'm okay, Dean," his brother answered, knowing the question before it was really asked. "He's awake," Sam said to a doctor that came into the room.

The doctor came over to the bed, muttering under his breath as he checked Dean. "He is," the doctor said finally.

"I am," Dean whispered.

Sam grinned at him, then frowned at the doctor, the look fierce. "I told you," Sam said quietly.

_Oh, I bet he did. _Dean had been on the receiving end of that quiet, firm voice more than once. And really, his brother was a pain in the ass when he was right. _Not that he is ever so rude as to remind you, once an hour, every day for a freaking month. No, that wouldn't be fair. _If he'd felt better he would have chuckled, instead he settled for a blink. His eyelids seemed heavy when he opened them again.

"Sleep, I'll be here, Dean," Sam said, tossing another look at the doctor—and Bobby.

"Mmm," Dean said, blinking, only this time his eyes refused to open. He decided to listen to Sam, not wanting that frown turned on him, and let himself drift into sleep.

The scent of coffee wormed its way into his sleep, he took a deep breath, enjoying the rich smell and opened his eyes—they opened easily and he looked up at sunlight on the tiled ceiling. The TV was on a documentary about mega-disasters, the narrator talking about Yellowstone Park. He rolled his eyes to the right, Sam was sitting beside the bed, a paper cup in his bandaged hands.

"Sam?" Dean said, his voice barely audible.

"Dean!" Sam turned to him with a smile.

"Coffee?"

"I don't think..." Sam glanced at the door, an odd look crossing his face. "Sure, a sip can't hurt." He slid a hand behind Dean's head and held the cup so he could sip. The coffee was exactly the right temperature and even though it was a little sweeter than Dean usually took his own coffee, the sweetness tasted good, easing the burned feeling in the back of his throat. "Better?" Sam asked.

"Yeah, thanks." He looked around the room, happy when his muscles responded and his head moved. "Where are we?"

"The tri-cities, Washington. It was the closest hospital with any kind of trauma care."

"We were in a helicopter."

"Yeah, we were."

"Arf! She was here!" Dean said as memory started to trickle in.

"She was."

"Sammy, we have to..." Dean struggled to sit up, Sam stopped him with a hand on his chest, shifting so he could sit on the edge of the bed.

"It's okay, Dean, I took care of it."

"You took care..." Dean paused, vaguely remembering Arf in the OR, the attack on the doctor and Sam there. He sniggered.

"What?"

"Did you do her in with the moon?"

"The moon?" Sam frowned for a moment, then smiled sheepishly remembering his arrival in the OR in the open-backed hospital gown. He shook his head. "How did you remember that?"

"Did you think I wouldn't?"

"Of everything that happened, yes, that would be the thing you remember." Sam grinned at him, then the smile faded, replaced but that small Sammy frown, tears playing at the corner of his eyes.

"Sammy?" He covered his brother's hand, where it rested on his chest, with his own.

"Nine days, Dean, six since I woke up."

"Six since you? You were out three days?" Dean nearly shouted, a cough stopping him at the last moment. "You said you were okay."

"I am, the doc said it was mostly exhaustion."

"Uh huh." Dean frowned at him, trying his best 'fess up, Sam' look. His brother remained unmoved, a tear starting down his cheek. "And?" There had to be more for that shattered look.

"They said you weren't going to make it. Right before you woke up, in fact, they said it was just a matter of hours probably." Sam cleared his throat. "I told them they were wrong."

"Sure. What happened?"

"The wolverine..."

"Arf, Sammy," he corrected.

"Fine." Sam sighed. "Arf. It..."

"She."

"She," Sam huffed. "She was summoned at some point, not even related to us."

"Our luck, eh, Sam? Right place, right time."

"Yeah, luck, Dean. Anyway, she followed us here."

"Because I bit her."

"How did you know?"

"She told me."

"She..." Sigh. "Told you?"

"Yeah, she did. She also didn't apologize for anything she did. What a bitch," Dean said, trying for a chuckle. It didn't work, Sam squinched at him. "What is it?"

"Bobby thinks she still might want you to go with her."

"I know, Sam, but not for awhile, and you'll figure it out before then." Sleep was starting to creep up on him again.

"Yeah, Dean, I will." Sam smiled, the tears still there, but the smile reached his eyes.

"When do we get to leave?" he asked, trying to keep his eyes open.

"Not for a couple of days, there's a hot nurse on night shift that wants to meet you before we go."

"Hot chicks all want me, Sammy."

"Yeah, don't bite her."

"Not on the first date."

"I don't even want to know." Sam laughed softly. "Get some more sleep."

"Okay, more coffee."

"I'll make sure there's some here."

"Thanks. Sammy?" He pressed his hand against his brother's letting his fingers curl around Sam's hand.

"Yeah, Dean. Me, too."

Dean sighed. They made it. They'd actually made it out alive.

**Epilogue**

The sun was bright when Sam wheeled Dean out of the hospital a week later. Sam had been released several days before—over Dean and Bobby's objections—but the doctor had given him the all-clear and he was tired of nurses hovering over him every time he moved out of his bed to sit beside Dean's. There had been no sign of the wolverine, Bobby had even driven up to the place where they'd wrecked and could find no trace of the creature. He had found what he thought was the site of the original ritual and had done his best to cleanse the site—neither he or Sam was sure they needed to, but they weren't going to take any chances.

"Hey, girl, miss me?" Dean addressed the car as Sam stopped the wheelchair beside the passenger door. "Wrong side, Sammy."

"You aren't driving, Dean," Sam said, locking the brakes.

"Sam..."

"No, Dean. It's bad enough I'm letting your brother drive. You are going to stay put, hear me?" Bobby growled.

"Yes, sir." Dean grinned at him, Bobby scowled back and muttered something under his breath. "What was that?"

"I said get in the car so we can get out of here. When you need a break, you call, and if you haven't called in an hour, I'll pull off."

"Okay, Bobby," Sam said agreeably.

"Yeah, you better." Bobby stomped off towards his car.

"He's in a good mood," Dean said as Sam helped him into the car.

"It was better last night." Sam laughed and walked around the car, dropping into the driver's seat and turning on the ignition, the car roared to life. "What?" his brother asked when Dean sighed.

"It's good to be back in my baby."

"Your baby?" Sam looked over, his eyebrows in his bangs.

"The car?"

"I know what you're talking about, but it's not your baby anymore."

"It's not?" Dean asked. Sam was up to something.

"No, you gave it to me."

"Oh, I so did not."

"You so did."

"Did not."

"Did so."

"Not.

"So."

"No way."

"Way."

"I think I would remember that, Sammy."

"You said you would give your car up for a cup of coffee."

"I didn't..." _Oh, I so did. _

"You did."

"I was out of my mind at the time. Coffee withdrawl."

"So you admit it?"

"No. I was just saying."

"Maybe I'll give it back, depends on a lot, though."

"You wouldn't." Dean looked over at his brother. Sam was grinning at him. "You would, wouldn't you?" he asked, Sam nodded. "Bitch."

"Jerk," Sam answered, starting to laugh. Dean laughed along with him. It was good to be back, heading out, even if it was just to Bobby's. Sam shoved a tape into the stereo, music blasted out of the speakers and Sam turned onto the highway, Bobby's car in view and the sweeping plains of Eastern Washington in front them.

_Yep. We made it. _

_**The End**_

_A/N II: Thank you again for coming along with me on this journey! Sending a big hug to you all!_


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